With Tired Eyes,Tired Minds,Tired Souls We Slept
by kisstomorrowgoodbyexx
Summary: Alternate ending to 3x16 and rewriting the rest of season 3 & on. FINISHED.
1. Silent Misfourtune

CHAPTER ONE: Silent Misfortune

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Jimmy shouted as Lucas carried Peyton's practically lifeless body through the doors that connected one hallway to the other.

Lucas stops in his tracks, like a deer caught in headlights. He looks at Jimmy and then back down at Peyton. "She's bleeding." Lucas whispered barely audible but also hesitantly. Who would want to speak against a man who had a gun?

"THE SCHOOL IS ON LOCKDOWN!" Jimmy shouted at Lucas. The tone in his voice made Lucas jump and become a little more frightened then he had already been.

"I know, Jim." Lucas started. He used Jimmy's nickname, a name that he hadn't used since their days back on the River Court. Lucas pauses slightly. "But if I don't get her out of here, she's going to die." Lucas said his voice shaking with fear.

He was worried for his own life, he was worried for Haley and Nathan and the other kids that were held up in the tutoring center, and he was worried for Jimmy and the path that he was spiraling down in. Most importantly, he was worried for Peyton's life and terrified that she wasn't going to make it. He had that sinking feeling in his heart that she wasn't going to make it. Her body seemed grow more lifeless as he just stood there with the gunman.

Jimmy grew a heartbreaking look on his face as his eyes focused on the girl in Lucas' arms. "I didn't mean to hurt her." Jimmy said, a tear sliding down the side of his cheek.

"We know that, Jimmy." An older male voice came from behind Jimmy. Jimmy whipped around and saw Keith standing there.

"WHAT THE HELL _IS_ THIS? THE SCHOOL IS ON LOCKDOWN!" Jimmy's voice boomed through the hallway as he waved the gun around motioning to the school. Jimmy then turned the gun on Keith.

"Please, Jimmy, just…please just let them go and…you and I can talk about this." Keith says and then pauses to glance at Lucas, and then turned his focus back to Jimmy. "She's hurt, Jimmy." Keith replies.

Jimmy grew tense as Keith told him that Peyton was hurt. "I didn't mean it." Jimmy said.

Keith moved around Jimmy, and Jimmy followed him with the gun. Keith stood in front of Lucas who was carrying Peyton. If Jimmy decided to shoot, Keith would take the bullet for them. "I know." Keith replied to Jimmy. Keith doesn't move as if he was frozen in his place. "Go on, Lucas," He said gently not breaking eye contact with Jimmy.

Lucas starts to move towards the exit, and Keith moves with them protecting them on the way to the exit. Jimmy doesn't make a move to shoot any of them. Lucas, Peyton, and Keith get to the exit. "Keith," Lucas said starting to plead with him, that he shouldn't stay behind.

"Luke, I love you." Keith sighs. "Now go,"

Keith looks between Lucas and Jimmy, and then focuses his attention on Jimmy. Lucas waits for a second, looks at Jimmy, and then walks out of the school. Jimmy looks away from Keith.

"Why don't you hand me that gun, Jimmy?" Keith asked and held out his hand. "Let's follow the two of them out of here." Keith suggests.

Jimmy thinks about it for a moment then shakes his head vigorously. "I can't."

"Well I'm not going to leave you here, son." Keith said and starts to walk forwards toward Jimmy. "I'm not going to do that and I'll tell you why;" Keith pauses. He takes a breath to swallow what was going on. "You know what I won't do that? I won't do that because _I've_ been there. I've bought the gun…and I planned on using it, ok? _I've_ been there and I want to tell you something…" He said softly. "It gets better."

Jimmy starts to shake as everything starts to build up inside of him. "Not this." He shakes his head firmly. "It can't."

"It does, Jimmy. That…that pain in your stomach, that pain in your heart; it goes away! That _voice_ inside of your head that's…that's saying there's no way out; it's _wrong_ Jimmy! Would you _please_…please just believe me; it gets better." Keith pleaded with Jimmy.

Jimmy let the tears stream down his face as he stood there distraught, the gun shaking because his hand was shaking so bad. "IT _WON'T_! NOT AFTER THIS! I CAN'T TAKE THIS _BACK_! I-I CAN'T ERASE THIS!" Jimmy shouted at Keith. "She's going to die." Jimmy said fearfully.

Keith walks forward towards Jimmy calmly. "You don't know that." Jimmy just stands there and cries.

[O][T][H]

Lucas pushes the door open to the high school and he stepped out into the quad area of the school. The SWAT team immediately turns their guns towards him and Peyton. Four guys ambush the couple.

[O][T][H]

"I just…" Jimmy started. "I just wanted…" Jimmy sighed. "I just wanted them to leave me ALONE!" He shouted aiming the gun at Keith again.

Keith nodded his head softly understanding the position that he is at.

"I just wanted them to like me!" Jimmy looks up at Keith. Jimmy slowly falls to his knees.

[O][T][H]

Lucas walks forward slowly away from the school, before a few members of the SWAT team ambushes them. They surround the couple.

[O][T][H]

"I understand, son. It's what we all want. It's all ANY of us want." Keith said.

Jimmy started blinking rapidly. Jimmy looks up towards the ceiling as if he was looking to Heaven. "I'm not here." He whispered.

[O][T][H]

The SWAT team takes Peyton's drained of life body from Lucas' arms and they shove him to the ground. The SWAT team members take Peyton's body away from Lucas' line of vision and he drops to his knees.

[O][T][H]

"It's going to be ok." Keith said to Jimmy.

"BUT IT HURTS!" Jimmy shouted and he tapped the gun to his chest a few times. "IT HURTS! IT ALWAYS HURTS!"

"I know." Keith said barely audible. "Please…" Keith pleased. Jimmy looks at Keith with sadness in his eyes and Keith's heart breaks. "Please…" Keith begs again.

Jimmy's voice broke as he apologized. "I'm sorry."

Jimmy turns the gun to himself and Keith rushes towards him to try and stop him. "NO!"

The bullet when through his head, and Jimmy fell to the ground off his knees. The noise rings through the school hallway. Keith looks at him, as Jimmy lies in his own pool blood. He puts his hands on the young boy's chest. He was dead on impact from the bullet.

[O][T][H]

Peyton is loaded into the ambulance with Lucas' shirt still tied around her leg, strapped to a gurney. She's still lying there unconscious.

Lucas is let go by the SWAT team as soon as he is cleared and walks towards his mother. He wraps his arms around his mom. His mom cries into his arms. He let go of his mother and then he walks over to Brooke. She collapses in his arms. He circles his arms around her and he puts her head under his chin, and let his chin rest on her head as he ran his fingers through her hair comforting her as she cries.

A little way over Jimmy's mother is staring at the school, and police officer approaches her to let her know that Jimmy committed suicide just a few minutes after Lucas exited the school, and she covered her mouth with her hand, and the tears run down her face.

[O][T][H]

Keith stands over Jimmy's lifeless body and he hears footsteps behind him. He turned his head to see his brother; Dan Scott behind him. The mayor of Tree Hill High was inside of the school. He helped Keith get inside of that school. The gun lies abandoned near Dan's feet.

Keith looks up at Dan letting the tears run down her face. "He's gone Danny." He takes a deep breath and looks down at Jimmy. "He's gone." Keith whispered.

Dan nods softly and waits a moment before he bends over and picks the gun up that Jimmy used to shoot himself. Keith watches Dan and he stands up. When Keith looked up there Dan was standing with the gun pointed at Keith. Keith looked at his own brother with a confused expression on his face and then everything went black and he fell to the floor.

[O][T][H]

As the night pulls to an end, Lucas is sitting against the headboard in his room. His knees pulled against his chest and Brooke sitting right next to him. They were sitting there in the silence. She had tried to talk to him, but getting the news that Keith was gone devastated both him and his mom. His mom had been locked in her room ever since she came home from the school.

"Do you want to talk about it, baby?" Brooke asked softly. Lucas stood up off the bed and shook his head.

"No, I don't want to talk about it." Lucas said and grabbed his Keith Scott sweatshirt.

"Where are you going?" Brooke asked.

"I'm going out. I need to clear my head." Lucas said and Brooke sighed softly. He always had this knack of shutting her out. His uncle just died. Brooke needed to understand that. "Just don't wait up for me."

Lucas exited the bedroom and he stepped down the steps of the back porch. He looked both ways and the crossed the sidewalks. He sighed and started walking. Before he knew it, he had arrived in front of Peyton's house. He hadn't heard from her or her father since the shooting happened earlier that day. Maybe he needed to visit to her.

Lucas walked all the way to the hospital. On the way, he thought about the day's events. He thought about what had happened with Peyton in the library.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_Lucas appears around the corner of the bookshelves in the library with the bat up on his shoulder. He follows the patches of blood and he heard whimpering. He swings around one of the bookshelves and Peyton cries out seeing him. Lucas dropped the bat and he rushed to her side. _

"_Peyton, it's me." Lucas said and he touches her arm. _

_Peyton cries heavily and she speaks, "Ow, my leg! I got cut by some glass. Lucas, I lost Brooke. I'm so sorry!" She cried. _

"_She's fine, she's fine but…" Lucas said and he looks down at her bleeding leg. "Ok, you're not. Um…oh we got to get you somewhere safe. Come on." Lucas said trying to get her up to walk._

_She protests him because of the pain in her leg. _

"_No, I can't." Peyton whimpered desperately. "I can't walk. I already tried!" She cried. _

"_Ok. That's ok." Lucas said soothingly as he caressed her arm. She looks at him sadly. He looks over the shelf towards the library doors and sighs. He goes to lock it and she pulls him down begging him not to leave her._

"_Don't leave me! PLEASE!" Peyton begged. _

_Lucas cupped Peyton's face in his hands. "No, hey, look…I'm going to go block the entrance, all right? And we'll just hide out here." Lucas said unhappily knowing he should get her out of there._

_Peyton nods softly. "We'll wait this out, ok?" Lucas said and she nodded again._

"_Listen to me, ok?" Lucas asked. Peyton nods her head and makes an agreement noise like barely a mumble. "I'm not leaving you, Peyton." _

_Peyton continues crying. "I will never leave you." Lucas said softly. Lucas runs one of his hands over her hair pushing it out of her face. He holds her close as she leans against him. _

_Lucas sits down next to Peyton and he looks over at her leg. He touches the wound on her leg and peels away her jeans to look at the bloody wound. She cries out a bit when he does so shutting her eyes from the pain. _

"_You're bleeding badly." He says worriedly. _

"_Luke?" Peyton says and Lucas looks up at his friend. "It was your friend." She says after a small pause. "The one from the time capsule," She said crying. "He had the gun." She whispered. When she took another pause to take a breath, she looked over at him. "But he didn't look evil or angry. He just looked scared." _

_Lucas takes off his shirt and he wraps it around her leg tying it tightly around the wound to stop the wound from bleeding. After a few minutes, she's leaning against him and he looks over at her. She's paler than normal from the blood loss. _

"_I'm tired Luke." Peyton whispered barely audible. "Are you tired?"_

"_Yeah, but you got to stay awake, all right?" Lucas said. Peyton nods softly. "Talk to me. Tell me about a good day." Lucas suggested trying to keep her awake. _

_Peyton inhales deeply. "We had a snow day in the sixth grade. Do you remember?" Lucas nods and smiles. Peyton smiles slightly too. "It was like this whole other world just came in overnight and took ours away." She pauses. "And Brooke…" She smiles sadly when thinking about the best friend she lost when she was shot in the leg. "She came over and we made a snow fort with a tunnel." Lucas laughs and Peyton laughs weakly. "And we stayed in there all day." She paused again. "And it seemed so safe; like everything was ok, like everything in our world was about to become…" She shook her head. "Maybe we could just stop it. And stay little kids for one more day. But then it got cold….kind of like now. They're going come now." _

_Lucas has a confused expression on his face. "Who's going to come?" _

_Peyton lets a tear fall down her cheek. "All of them; the reporters…and the psychologists, and the analysts, and the so-called experts. And they're going to try to make sense of this." She said referring to the shooting. _

_She looks over at him and takes a breath in. "It's not glass in my leg, is it?" _

_Lucas shakes his head. "No." He sighs. "It's a bullet. Now I may have to get you out of here. Ok? But nothing will happen to you. I promise." He forced._

"_You're always saving me, Lucas." Peyton whispered._

"_Somebody's got to." Lucas shakes his head._

_Peyton looked away. "If I say…" She looks back at him. "I love you right now; will you hold it against me, because I've lost a lot of blood." Peyton's voice breaks. "Come here…" She said weakly. _

_Lucas moves closer to her and their lips connect. She kisses him back just as softly. "That was just in case you can't keep your promise."_

_-END OF FLASHBACK-_

Lucas walked to the front desk, and he put his hands on the desk. "I'm looking for Peyton Sawyer's room? She was shot in a school shooting today."

"Oh yes. Visiting hours are over though, sir. I can't let you go and see her."

"I'm her brother and I can't seem to get in contact with my father who is with her." Lucas lied through his teeth but it seemed to convince her.

"She's on the fourth floor, room 406." The woman gave him the information and he thanked her.

He walked up to the fourth floor taking the stairs only because he needed a moment to think. He arrived at the room and he opened it quietly. He closed it behind him and saw Mr. Sawyer nowhere in sight. He must have gone to the bathroom or get a cup of coffee. Peyton was lying asleep in the bed.

Lucas walked over to the bed and he sat down in the chair next to the bed. He sighed and he looked at his friend who was lying there. When he adjusted his feet, he accidently knocked one of his feet against the bed and Peyton awoke with a jolt.

"Luke?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry for waking you." Lucas whispered.

"How did you get in here? Visiting hours…" Peyton asked and trailed off.

"If anyone asks, I'm your brother." Lucas said and Peyton laughed softly. "I'm really glad you're ok." Lucas said softly.

"You saved me Luke." She whispered and reached her hand over to his and wrapped her fingers around his.

"Somebody had to." Luke said sadly and he looked down.

"What's wrong Lucas?" Peyton asked.

"When I brought you out of the school Peyton…Keith came in and he tried to talk Jimmy out of shooting us. When Keith got us safely out of the school, it was reported that Jimmy shot Keith…and then he turned the gun on himself." Lucas said his voice shaking and then it cracked and Lucas let a tear slide down his cheek.

"He's gone, Peyton. He's really gone." Lucas whispered and she turned her head to the side and looked down. She squeezed his hand and she started crying to.


	2. Final Farewell

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would just like to say that this story came about by an amazing person. She is a dedicated Lucas and Peyton fan, and since I had no creative mojo at the time I decided to write a story for her. She just gave me one idea and that was to start at the school shooting. And go on from there. So basically this story is dedicated to her, a.k.a "BRENNA"! **

**REVIEW SHOUTOUTS: Thanks to all who read the first chapter but for those who reviewed it get a special shout-out. So thank you, **_**gray fan, Mela18, leytonbreylan, OTHGirl24, lukenpeyton4ever.**_

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_THE SCHOOL IS ON LOCKDOWN!"_

"_I didn't mean to hurt her." _

"_I didn't mean it." Jimmy said._

"_Luke, I love you." Keith sighs. "Now go," _

"_It does, Jimmy. That…that pain in your stomach, that pain in your heart; it goes away! That voice inside of your head that's…that's saying there's no way out; it's wrong Jimmy! Would you please…please just believe me; it gets better."_

"_IT WON'T! NOT AFTER THIS! I CAN'T TAKE THIS BACK! I-I CAN'T ERASE THIS!" Jimmy shouted at Keith. _

"_I just…" Jimmy started. "I just wanted…" Jimmy sighed. "I just wanted them to leave me ALONE!" He shouted aiming the gun at Keith again._

"_I just wanted them to like me!" Jimmy looks up at Keith. Jimmy slowly falls to his knees._

"_BUT IT HURTS!" Jimmy shouted and he tapped the gun to his chest a few times. "IT HURTS! IT ALWAYS HURTS!" _

_Jimmy turns the gun to himself and Keith rushes towards him to try and stop him. "NO!"_

_Keith looks up at Dan letting the tears run down her face. "He's gone Danny." He takes a deep breath and looks down at Jimmy. "He's gone." Keith whispered. _

"_How did you get in here? Visiting hours…" Peyton asked and trailed off. _

"_If anyone asks, I'm your brother." Lucas said and Peyton laughed softly. "I'm really glad you're ok." Lucas said softly. _

"_You saved me Luke." She whispered and reached her hand over to his and wrapped her fingers around his._

"_He's gone, Peyton. He's really gone." Lucas whispered and she turned her head to the side and looked down. She squeezed his hand and she started crying to. _

CHAPTER TWO: Final Farewell

Mr. Sawyer entered his daughter's hospital room after spending an hour or so at the cafeteria to eat some dinner and grab a coffee. He saw his daughter sleeping soundly, but with tear-stained cheeks and next to her holding her hand was Lucas Scott also with tear stained cheeks. Mr. Sawyer looked at the two strangely and then sat down on the other side of the bed opposite to Lucas. He looked at his daughter and stretched out his legs.

After a few hours or so, Peyton stirred awake and she saw her father sitting there watching over her. "That's so creepy." She whispered hoarsely.

"I see you have a guest." Mr. Sawyer said.

"If anyone asks, he's my brother." Peyton said and they both shared a light laugh.

"You look like you've been crying…you all right honey? Were you in pain?" Mr. Sawyer asked.

Peyton shook her head. "Depends if you're asking if I'm in pain emotionally or physically?"

"Both, I suppose." Mr. Sawyer replied.

"Physically, I'm not in that much pain. A bit sore, but that's expected. Emotionally, I'm carrying the weight of the world." She whispered and let her hand play with Lucas' blonde little spikes.

"Is he ok?" Mr. Sawyer asked and Peyton shook her head.

"They say that Jimmy Edwards turned the gun on Lucas' Uncle Keith and then himself." Peyton said after a long silence.

Mr. Sawyer sighed and shook his head at the tragedy. It was horrible. Two people had lost their sons tonight, and Mr. Sawyer almost lost his daughter. He knew how they felt. He was out at sea when he got the call that his baby girl was on the way to the hospital. There was always that chance that she would make it but there were also odds set against her because of how much blood she lost. Mr. Sawyer knew how it felt to lose a loved one. He couldn't imagine what was going through Lucas' mind. He lost a friend, an uncle who was supposed to become his father.

Lucas woke up and he heard Mr. Sawyer and Peyton stop talking as he awoke.

"Hey sleepy head," Peyton said softly. "How're you feeling?"

"Not so good. I'm sorry for crashing here." Lucas said pulling his phone out of his pocket. 4 missed calls, the screen flashed. "Brooke's been calling me, I should probably be going."

Lucas stood up and Mr. Sawyer and him shook hands and gave each other a hug. "Thank you for saving my baby girl." Mr. Sawyer said.

"I'm just glad she's ok." Lucas said and he looked at Peyton. "I'll be seeing you." Lucas said.

"If you need anything, you know I'm here for you Luke….right?" Peyton asked.

Lucas gave a solemn nod and then he exited the hospital room. He walked out of the hospital dialing Brooke's number on the walk back to his house.

"Lucas!" She said as she answered the phone. "Where the hell are you?"

"I'm on my way back. Calm down, please." Lucas said.

"I'm just worried for you." Brooke sighed knowing she would never win such a fight with Lucas.

When things happened Lucas put up this wall and Brooke never seemed to be able to fight past it. Brooke hung up her phone and she turned on her side in Lucas' bed. Maybe it was a lost cause. People who were truly in love were supposed to be able to lean on each other in times of need and grief, but the more that Lucas was put through, the more that he shut Brooke out. It seemed as if Lucas came running to Brooke when there was nothing else or no one else to turn to. She was his last resort. Lucas came through the door a half hour later and he laid down next to her.

"Where'd you go?" Brooke asked softly.

He wrapped his arm around her and leaned his head on her shoulder. "To the River Court, the auto shop. I just kind of walked around town." Lucas shrugged knowing it wasn't the truth, but what was he supposed to tell her? That he went to see Peyton? That he spent the last few hours holding her hand, and sleeping next to her? No, that would just kill her.

"I'm here for you…you know that right, Luke?" Brooke asked.

As she said that, what Peyton said popped into his mind. He sighed and tried to relieve the memory of Peyton from his mind. "I know. Thank you." Lucas whispered and he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Brooke was up and awake trying to do some menial things to keep herself busy but not to wake up Karen or Lucas. She had cooked Lucas some breakfast and wrapped Karen up some food just in case she wanted any if she ever would come out of her room. Brooke sat the food next to Lucas on the bed and kissed his forehead. "Wake up, Broody." She whispered. He opened his eyes and fixated his baby blues on the breakfast in front of him.

"It looks delicious Brooke. Thanks." Lucas said and he sat up in bed. His eyes were sore and red from crying about Keith and about Jimmy. He was also worried for his mother.

"Anything else I can do?" Brooke asked.

Lucas shook his head. "No thanks." He looked down at the eggs on the plate and it instantly reminded him of the countless breakfasts that he had at his mother's café with Keith and his mother. He put the fork down suddenly losing his appetite.

"Were they that bad?"

"No, I just suddenly felt sick. I'm sorry." Lucas said and he stood up off the bed. He walked into the bathroom and he pressed his back against the bathroom door. He started a shower and sat down in the tub with his clothes on. He pulled his knees up to his chest and he just sat there letting the water pour down over him.

"It's my entire fault." Lucas said as flashbacks of the shooting played around in his head.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_Keith moved around Jimmy, and Jimmy followed him with the gun. Keith stood in front of Lucas who was carrying Peyton. If Jimmy decided to shoot, Keith would take the bullet for them. "I know." Keith replied to Jimmy. Keith doesn't move as if he was frozen in his place. "Go on, Lucas," He said gently not breaking eye contact with Jimmy._

_Lucas starts to move towards the exit, and Keith moves with them protecting them on the way to the exit. Jimmy doesn't make a move to shoot any of them. Lucas, Peyton, and Keith get to the exit. "Keith," Lucas said starting to plead with him, that he shouldn't stay behind._

"_Luke, I love you." Keith sighs. "Now go," _

_Keith looks between Lucas and Jimmy, and then focuses his attention on Jimmy. Lucas waits for a second, looks at Jimmy, and then walks out of the school. Jimmy looks away from Keith._

_-END OF FLASHBACK-_

Lucas didn't think that the last time he was going to see his Uncle Keith was when Keith was fighting for Lucas and Peyton to get out of the school safely.

"If I didn't go into that school, he would still be here." Lucas rocked back and forth under the freezing cold water.

"It's my fault. It's my fault." He continued to repeat.

When Brooke hadn't heard from Lucas in over an hour, she decided to check on him in the bathroom. She knocked first and put her hand on the brass doorknob. "Luke?" She asked and stuck her head in.

She saw him in the bathtub and she ran towards him. "Lucas!" She shouted. She turned off the cold water and she helped him stand up and get out of the tub. She wrapped a few towels around her boyfriend and rubbed her hands up and down his arms to get him warm again.

"You're now a walking ice cube." She said drying him off.

"I-I-Its…a-all…my-my-my…fault." He shivered.

"What's your fault Lucas?" Brooke asked looking up into his eyes.

"Ev-ever-everything…" Lucas shivered.

Brooke walked him to his bedroom and laid him down in the bed. She took the warming blanket, plugged it in, and tucked it around him. "Nothing is your fault, baby." She said softly.

Lucas' eyes drifted over to a picture of Keith and him when Lucas was younger and it was taken on Halloween. Lucas sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Can I be alone, Brooke?"

"What?" Brooke asked in shock.

"Can I be alone? I need time to think…I need time away."

"What do you need time away from Lucas? Do you need time away from us? I find that a damn shame because I'm here comforting you, taking care of you, making you food, and you wanna break up with me?" She asked in pure disbelief.

"Brooke…" Lucas said softly and he pleaded with his eyes. "I just want to be alone for a little bit. I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow." He closed his eyes.

"OK." She said simply. She grabbed her duffel bag and headed out the door to her car. She threw it in the back and then drove off from Lucas' house back to the apartment she shared with Haley.

[O][T][H]

The next day Lucas stood inside of his room in front of the bathroom mirror. His eyes felt heavy, looked as if he hadn't gotten sleep in days. Truth was, he had gotten sleep but he was so haunted and so hurt that his Uncle Keith was gone, that his mind wouldn't shut off and his body wouldn't relax. Lucas had also thought about Peyton and how he was glad that she had survived. But their moments in the library, the talk, the kiss…it rushed back everything he felt when he was in junior year.

"You ready for this?" A female voice came from the side of him. He saw that it was his mother using in his peripheral vision.

Lucas turned towards his mom, who looked almost as bad as he did or much worse. Lucas nodded his head silently. He turned off the bathroom light and he walked out of his bedroom with her. The car ride over to the church was silent. Lucas and Karen both submerged in their grief and in their thoughts. When they got to the church, they were both ambushed by grieving friends and family members of Keith Scott.

Lucas didn't want their sympathy. He saw Peyton in the back of the church taking up part of a whole row to herself to rest her leg. He excused himself and he walked over to her.

"I didn't think you were getting out till tomorrow." Lucas said softly.

"I wanted to be here for the funeral. I owe him." Peyton said sadly. She reached out and touched Lucas' arm.

"Yeah, I owe him too." Lucas nodded his head. They caught each other's eyes and it was like they could speak with their eyes. He never was able to do that with anyone else.

"Which one wants to mention the big elephant?" Peyton asked. Lucas knew exactly what she was talking about.

"We can talk about it later." Lucas mumbled and then the music started and that meant that the service was starting. "I should go sit by my mom."

"Go on, we'll talk later." Peyton nodded.

Lucas nodded his head and he went to the front where he sat down next to his mother. "Today we gather here to honor our fallen Brother Keith Alan Scott." The pastor started out. "The Lord is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

After the funeral was over, the casket was taken up by the four men who were assigned to carry the casket and the congregation followed the pastor, the casket and the four men out of the church. They walked to the graveyard which wasn't too far away and they locked the casket in place on the stand. Lucas stood by his mother as they said a few words about Keith. When it was his turn, he walked up to the dirt pile next to the casket and took a handful of it. He grasped it in his hand and he released it on top of the casket. There were a few other close family members of Keith who did the same thing.

"Let's bow our heads for a moment of silence, and let the family say a final farewell." The pastor said and Keith's family gathered around the casket and bowed their heads.

The whole funeral was now over, and people were invited back to Karen's house to mingle and help each other out with the grief.

Lucas barely socialized though. Brooke had taken him around and he had said his words to a few people, but ended up returning to his room where he just sat on the bed and stared at his bedroom wall.

"Knock, knock." Brooke said knocking on the door frame. "Can we talk?"

Lucas nodded his head and made room for her beside him on the edge of the bed. "Sure."

"I need to know what you want from me." Brooke said after a pause of silence between them. Lucas looked over at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean…I need to know why I am here when all you do is shut me out, and not let me help you with this." Brooke asked.

"You are helping me." Lucas said shaking his head, glancing at her, not quite understanding what she was talking about.

"I'm not, Lucas. You won't talk to me about it, you won't let me in." Brooke let the tear fall from the side of her eye.

"It's a really hard time for me right now, Brooke." Lucas said looking at her with his mouth agape not sure what to say.

"I know that…but true love, like what Nathan and Haley have, you are supposed to let me in when the times are good and when the times are bad, not when it's convenient." Brooke said.

"I can't be Nathan!" Lucas shouted standing up. "I can't force myself to let you in! I have to be ready to do something like that." Lucas said and he shook his head. "Forget this."

"Lucas…" She said and he shook his head. He grabbed his jacket.

"Just stay away from me." Lucas replied and he put his hands up. He threw them down and walked out of the room. He walked out of the house, many people watching after him.

Brooke put her head in her hands and she let herself cry. What had she just done? She must have pushed the envelope, and finally he just cracked.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I enjoyed writing it. Send in those reviews, it's my enthusiasm to write!**


	3. Feelings Show

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you **_**lukenpeyton4ever**_**, **_**leytonbreylan,**__**julchen1515**_**, **_**& OTHGirl24**_**. Thank you **_**leytonbreylan**_** for the detailed review, I could definitely see the same thing because that's how Lucas and Peyton work. They speak with their eyes. That's where the chemistry is at. :] **

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: Here's the third chapter of the story. Enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_If anyone asks, he's my brother." Peyton said and they both shared a light laugh. _

"_They say that Jimmy Edwards turned the gun on Lucas' Uncle Keith and then himself." Peyton said after a long silence._

"_Thank you for saving my baby girl." Mr. Sawyer said._

"_I'm just glad she's ok." Lucas said and he looked at Peyton. "I'll be seeing you." Lucas said._

"_Lucas!" She said as she answered the phone. "Where the hell are you?"_

"_I'm on my way back. Calm down, please." Lucas said._

"_I'm here for you…you know that right, Luke?" Brooke asked._

"_Were they that bad?" _

"_No, I just suddenly felt sick. I'm sorry." Lucas said and he stood up off the bed. _

"_It's my entire fault." Lucas said as flashbacks of the shooting played around in his head._

"_If I didn't go into that school, he would still be here." Lucas rocked back and forth under the freezing cold water._

"_Brooke…" Lucas said softly and he pleaded with his eyes. "I just want to be alone for a little bit. I'll see you at the funeral tomorrow."_

"_I didn't think you were getting out till tomorrow." Lucas said softly._

"_I wanted to be here for the funeral. I owe him." Peyton said sadly. She reached out and touched Lucas' arm. _

"_Today we gather here to honor our fallen Brother Keith Alan Scott."_

"_I need to know what you want from me." Brooke said after a pause of silence between them. Lucas looked over at her._

"_I know that…but true love, like what Nathan and Haley have, you are supposed to let me in when the times are good and when the times are bad, not when it's convenient." Brooke said._

"_Just stay away from me." Lucas replied and he put his hands up._

CHAPTER THREE: Feelings Show

"Welcome back students. Today as we return to our school with heavy hearts, you will notice some changes. At the entrance to our school, you will see metal detectors. These are here for your safety. You will see an armed police presence around campus. They are here for your well-being. We can try to make the school safer, we can try to protect you, but there are few precautions that we can take to protect your hearts. Form a grief circle, talk about it. If you're feeling scared, if you're feeling vulnerable or confused, don't keep it inside. Let it out. You are not alone, and this is YOUR school." Principal Turner said over the loudspeaker that made him heard in every corner and crevice of the school.

Lucas adjusted his backpack on his shoulder as he stands in front of the high school. He used to enjoy coming to school but now there was nothing to enjoy about it. His childhood friend was dead, his uncle was dead, his mom has locked herself in her room since the day of the funeral, he was pretty sure that he had also broken up with Brooke after the funeral.

He just wanted to scream, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. Lucas approached one of the security entrances and set everything that he had on him in the gray basket. They let him enter through and he grabbed his stuff. He started to walk to his first class and he saw a few students gathered around a few lockers looking down at the bottom row of lockers. They were looking at a memorial someone had set up for Jimmy Edwards.

"Lucas…" Brooke's voice came from behind him. He managed to tear his eyes away from the memorial for a second to glance to his ex-girlfriend behind him.

"What do you want?" Lucas asked the same anger he felt over the weekend boiling up in him.

"Don't do anything stupid. Please come with me to class." Brooke said holding out her hand.

"I'm not stupid! What do you not understand about 'stay away from me'?" Lucas asked and Brooke dropped her hand sadly.

Lucas walked over to the memorial and he took one good look at it before swinging his right leg back and giving it one hard kick. The candles broke; the papers and cards were strewn all over the place along with the flowers. Lucas sighed and he turned around to see most of the student body looking at him in shock. He saw Brooke, Rachel, Haley, and Nathan standing in a corner and Peyton wasn't too far away from them. Lucas walked away from the students and continued onto the gym, and out the exit. The bell rang and most of the students went to class but Peyton hopped away and she followed Lucas.

She knew exactly where he was going and eventually she arrived at the River Court. There he was standing in the middle of the court looking out at the river and to the other side of the town. Across the river was where most of the town was established.

"Hey," Peyton decided to speak up. "I kind of figured you would be here."

Lucas turned around and saw Peyton leaning on her crutches. "You seriously hopped all the way here?"

"I did. I wanted to make sure you were ok, after what happened back there." Peyton said.

"I'm okay. I'm just not ready to go back there yet." Lucas said and he walked over to Peyton. He helped her over to the picnic table. She took a seat on the table and let her hurt leg extend out. "Are you sure you are supposed to even be back at school?"

"Yeah, doctor released me from bed rest. He just said to take it easy." Peyton said.

"Following me here isn't considered taking it easy." Lucas said.

Peyton sighed and they sat there in silence. "We have to move on from this Lucas." She whispered.

"I'm trying. But I just…I can't get passed the fact that Jimmy killed Keith. I knew Jimmy. He came every day to the River Court and sat right next to Mouth and commentated on the games we played. He was a good kid, and then he goes and shoots up a school because I joined the team and the boys started talking to him less and less. I know it's my fault, I shouldn't have ignored him. Jimmy and Keith would still be here if I stayed at the River Court."

"But if you stayed at the River Court, you wouldn't have been tortured and then became brothers with Nathan, you wouldn't have met me…you wouldn't have fallen in love with Brooke." Peyton said putting her hand on his arm. "This is not at all your fault. Jimmy had some things wrong with him. You can't put that blame on yourself."

"I wish that he would have just come back to the River Court and try to talk to us about what was going on."

"I know." Peyton sighed and she put her hand on his back rubbing his back softly.

"So do you want to talk about the…" Lucas spoke softly trailing off.

"I kissed you because I thought I was going to die and you took care of me." Peyton said.

"I promised you that I was going to take care of you, keep you safe." Lucas said softly.

"And you came through. You are still a hero Lucas. You are just like Keith." Peyton spoke in a gentle voice knowing to be careful with what she said about Keith.

"Why is it so easy for us to talk about these kinds of things?" Lucas asked looking over at her.

"Maybe because we've been in such similar situations, well, sort of." Peyton said furrowing her eyebrows.

"I understand what you mean. Brooke and I ended our relationship over the weekend." Lucas said.

"I know she came over to my house as soon as you stormed out of your house. She was crying so hard but I told her to just give you some time."

"I actually don't think that Brooke and I will be working out anymore." Lucas said.

"Come on. You guys are in love with each other." Peyton said.

"I think I love her Peyton…but I don't think I'm in love with her." Lucas shrugged his shoulders.

Lucas sighed and he pressed his lips together. After an hour or so Lucas escorted Peyton back to her house and told Mr. Sawyer the reason that they skipped school together. Mr. Sawyer wasn't too happy about Peyton walking as much as she did but Lucas did carry her home, shielding her from any more damage to her leg. Lucas said his goodbyes and he walked around town till school was over. When he got back home, his brother and sister in law were standing in his room waiting for him.

"Are you all right Lucas? You never returned back to school."

"I'm fine, Nate. Thanks." Lucas said and he threw his back pack to the side of the bed and he sat down on it.

"Do you need anything? We're here if you need us." Haley said and she sat down next to her best friend. She wrapped her arm around him.

"No, I think I'm good." Lucas said and gave them a faint smile.

"Okay, well this weekend Rachel said she wants to take the group up to the cabin, and she told me to invite you."

"Rachel Gatina? She talked to you and you didn't punch her? What a shocker…" Lucas said and Nathan laughed with him on that one. "I'm in." Lucas said.

"Everyone is going to be there. Even Brooke…" Nathan said knowing the situation with him and Brooke after finding it out from Haley who had got it from Brooke.

"We have to learn to be civil from each other. I might have told her to stay away from me but I do need to make peace with her or I'll end up feeling guilty for cutting her out of my life."

"So where did you go when you left school?"

"To the River Court and Peyton ended up following me all the way to the River Court. She's crazy but we sat there and we talked about everything that went on that day."

"You saved her Luke. That conversation would have never happened if you didn't go back into that school. Don't regret for one minute that you went back in there." Nathan said softly.

"I don't…not anymore." Lucas said and he nodded his head. "I kissed Peyton." He blurted out.

"You did what?" Haley asked looking over at him.

"I kissed Peyton in the library. She was scared, she lost a hell of a lot of blood…and she said she loved me and that if I didn't come through with my promise she wanted me to know."

"So Peyton has feelings for you again?" Haley asked.

"I don't know. Maybe, but she could also just have been scared." Lucas said.

"Well, I've never told you this but as close as Brooke and I are…I was kind of all for Team Leyton."

"Did you really just call me and Peyton, 'team Leyton'?" He asked looking at his best friend then at Nathan.

"I know man." Nathan said shaking his head practically reading Lucas' thoughts.

They all three laughed. "It was better than Pucas." Haley said.

[O][T][H]

Lucas was lying on his bed diagonally, his music playing from his stereo system throughout the room. His phone started ringing next to him, and he picked it up. He flipped it open and he looked at the message that flashed across the screen. **High School U Need This. ** The text message read and the next thing he knew he was hopping off the bed and heading down to the high school. He arrived at the courtyard of the school and walked over to the sign of the school where Rachel Gatina was standing.

"Hey Luke," Rachel greeted.

Lucas held up his cell phone. "Rachel, did you send me this?"

"I might of." Rachel shrugged her shoulders. Rachel took off the letter 'y' off the sign and now the sign read 'this is our school'.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nobody has all the answers. But we all have our whys." Rachel said holding up the letter she had taken off the sign. "Like why did this happen? Why didn't we see it coming? Why do people watch American Idol?" She asked a series of rhetorical questions. "Come with me." She said.

She took his arm, linking her arm around his and taking him inside the school where it was clearly present that a party was going on. "Welcome to detention!" Rachel shouted to Lucas over the loud music. There were stage lights of different colors lighting up the hallways and people dancing all around.

Brooke approaches Lucas and she gives him a small wave.

"This is your idea?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah…I just thought that bringing everyone together would make some people deal with this better."

"So you threw a party?" Lucas asked raising his eyebrow.

"It's not a party…exactly. It's more of a cleansing for every kid in high school. Everyone's here, everyone's invited, and everybody's together. So just check it out, okay? We got co-ed bathrooms, science lab for drugs and pharmaceuticals, health class for condoms and people probably using them, Spanish class has kick ass margaritas, and then there is the tutor center for anyone who needs a little bit of extra help. Tonight we're all together, and we stop judging each other." Brooke said. "If you need to do this alone, I completely understand. But if you need me I'm here."

"Why are you being nice to me Brooke? I broke up with you and told you to leave me alone."

"But I know you are going through a difficult time, and I just want to let you have your distance, but still be here for you."

Lucas nodded his head and he gave her a one-armed hug. He walked off from Brooke and he found himself in the library. First of all, he found himself heading to the place where Peyton was shot but the area was marked off with caution tape. The carpet was still down and blood trail was still there.

"I guess they are about to reconstruct this place." A voice came from behind Lucas.

Lucas turned around and saw Peyton standing there on her crutches.

"Well you left quite a mess behind you." He said with a laugh.

"At least were almost to the point to laugh at it." Peyton said. "We've made good progress." Peyton said turning around and hopping over to one of the many tables in the area. Lucas followed her and sat down next to her.

"Yeah, I know that I will miss him a lot. Shutting the most important people in my life out won't bring Keith or Jimmy back. I just needed to realize it."

"Well I'm glad that you have realized it." Peyton said and she put her hand on his arm. "So, have you seen Brooke tonight?"

"Yeah, I ran into her. She's seems like she's doing better." Lucas said and she nodded her head. "She told me she's going to give me my space from a distance."

"It sounds like she still has some hope for you two." Peyton said softly.

"Yeah…I guess so." Lucas said shrugging his shoulders.

"What's wrong? Don't you want her back?" Peyton asked.

Lucas sat there in silence. There was a long pause between that question and Lucas giving an answer. He sighed and he pressed his lips together.

"Lucas, talk to me…" Peyton said stroking his arm softly.

"I don't want to be with Brooke…" Lucas finally spoke. He looked down at the wooden library table. "I don't want to be with her, because I want to be with you."

"What?" Peyton asked after a few seconds of trying to take it in.

"Ever since you told me you loved me, and ever since you kissed me…I haven't been able to get that kiss off my mind." Lucas said looking over at her.

"Lucas…" Peyton said and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that." Lucas stood up and she stood up also.

"I don't want to lose my friendship with Brooke again…" Peyton said and Lucas nodded his head.

"I understand." Lucas said shutting his eyes and he gave her a hug.

"Are things going to be awkward between us, now?" Peyton asked.

"No, I don't think. I'll catch up with you later, Peyton." Lucas said backing away and walking out of the library.

Peyton sat back down in her chair and she sighed softly. "What have I done?"

[O][T][H]

Lucas walked out of the library and he soon ran into Brooke again. "Hey you wanna dance?" Brooke asked.

Lucas nodded his head and he took Brooke's hand they both went to the middle of the hall way where there were a few people dancing. She pulled him closer and she wrapped her arms around him burying herself in his arms. Lucas placed his head on top of her head and he held her. But he couldn't get Peyton off his mind.

He let his eyes float up and he saw Peyton coming out of the library and she looked at him. She gave him a soft smile, and he couldn't help but send her one back. Peyton went the opposite way, and Brooke and Lucas danced slowly.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: There it is! I whipped it out! The third chapter of this fantastic story, so you know what to do next…YES! You got it! REVIEW PLEASE! The more reviews, the more inspiration I get to whip another one out. **


	4. Tony Soprano's Cabin Part One

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews guys! Yet again thank you to **_**leytonbreylan**_** for the detailed review! Haha, I love it and I'm glad you enjoyed how I turned the episode around like in a way that it wasn't completely farfetched and impossible. Thanks to the others who reviewed: **_**julianafun **_**and **_**lukenpeyton4ever.**_** I'm glad that I'm also getting these favorite story alerts, and stuff…but reviews are also great! So hopefully I get more reviews this time! Here is the fourth chapter of this epic story. As **_**leytonbreylan**_** mentioned, it will be about the camping trip!**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Don't do anything stupid. Please come with me to class." Brooke said holding out her hand._

"_I'm not stupid! What do you not understand about 'stay away from me'?" Lucas asked and Brooke dropped her hand sadly. _

"_Hey," Peyton decided to speak up. "I kind of figured you would be here."_

"_I wanted to make sure you were ok, after what happened back there." Peyton said. _

"_So do you want to talk about the…" Lucas spoke softly trailing off. _

"_I kissed you because I thought I was going to die and you took care of me." Peyton said._

"_And you came through. You are still a hero Lucas. You are just like Keith." Peyton spoke in a gentle voice knowing to be careful with what she said about Keith._

"_I actually don't think that Brooke and I will be working out anymore." Lucas said._

"_Okay, well this weekend Rachel said she wants to take the group up to the cabin, and she told me to invite you." _

"_Rachel Gatina? She talked to you and you didn't punch her? What a shocker…" Lucas said and Nathan laughed with him on that one. "I'm in." Lucas said._

"_I don't…not anymore." Lucas said and he nodded his head. "I kissed Peyton." He blurted out._

"_You did what?" Haley asked looking over at him._

"_Well you left quite a mess behind you." He said with a laugh. _

"_At least were almost to the point to laugh at it." Peyton said_

_He looked down at the wooden library table. "I don't want to be with her, because I want to be with you." _

"_I don't want to lose my friendship with Brooke again…" Peyton said and Lucas nodded his head._

_Lucas walked out of the library and he soon ran into Brooke again. "Hey you wanna dance?" Brooke asked._

CHAPTER FOUR: Tony Soprano's Cabin [PART ONE]

Lucas closes up his duffel bag and he takes it off his bed. He sighs and he changes out of his wife beater and puts on his long sleeve blue shirt.

"Hey Luke, we have to go!" Lucas heard Nathan's voice shout.

"I'm coming!" Lucas shouted back and he slid the duffel bag on his shoulder and he walked out of his bedroom. He walks over to the door of his mom's bedroom and he knocks softly.

"So, Mom, I'm going to take off, ok?" He asked and he received no response. Brooke joined Lucas at Karen's door.

"Hello?" He asked wondering if anyone was inside. In fact Karen was inside, she was leaning against the locked door holding a picture of Keith and Lucas with tear stained cheeks that continued to get soaked with her current tears. Lucas puts his palm to the door and sighs. "I'll be on my cell if you need anything."

"Don't take it personally. She's been through a lot." Brooke said linking her arm around his.

_-FLASHBACK-_

_Lucas walked out of the library and he soon ran into Brooke again. "Hey you wanna dance?" Brooke asked._

_Lucas nodded his head and he took Brooke's hand they both went to the middle of the hall way where there were a few people dancing. She pulled him closer and she wrapped her arms around him burying herself in his arms. Lucas placed his head on top of her head and he held her._

"_I love you Lucas Scott." Brooke whispered and she let a tear slide down her cheek. He picked her head up and he looked into her eyes._

"_I love you too Brooke Davis." He whispered back knowing he didn't have any other choice to say that because Peyton didn't want him. _

_He leaned down and he touched his lips to hers and she reciprocated the kiss. She smiled a small and sweet smile against his lips and then laid her head against his chest. _

_-END OF FLASHBACK-_

Since then, they had been together. Peyton didn't want him, and he wanted her, but Brooke was there. So, basically he was choosing second best which was only going to hurt her in the end.

"I know…she just seems so helpless."

"Yeah, we're all going to get our hope back, Luke." She said and she started walking with him to the front door. "It's just going to take some of us longer than others, you know?"

Lucas and Brooke walk out the door hand-in-hand and the first thing Lucas' eyes land on is Peyton. He sighs when their eyes catch one another. He looks away just as he sees her eyes traveling down to Brooke and Lucas' connected hands.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a great trip." Nathan said. Nathan, Mouth, and Skills continue to load the luggage into Nathan's small car.

"Yeah it will be nice to get away." Mouth replied nodding his head.

"Yeah hopefully it will get everyone to stop talking about you-know-what for a while." Skills said.

Nathan walks towards Haley who is just leaning against the small black car with a coffee cup in her hands. Behind her there are many other cups on the top of the car, one for each person traveling on the trip.

"Hey, does anyone know about this place that we are going to?" Haley asked.

"All Rachel said was it was some kind of cabin." Peyton shrugged her shoulders.

Brooke gives the group an annoyed look at the mention of Rachel. Brooke and Rachel weren't exactly the best of friends.

"Does Rachel really have to come? Can't we just leave her?"

"Well considering it's HER family's place, I don't think we have a choice." Peyton said looking over at her dark-haired best friend.

"I'm just saying…we should think about it." Brooke said shrugging her shoulders and Lucas sympathetically stroked her hair, running his fingers through her dark locks.

A car horn is sounded and the group turns around to see an SUV behind them, and Rachel is behind the wheel while Bevin is sitting next to her in the passenger's seat.

"Hey party people!" Rachel greeted the group. "Hey baby! Are you ready to conquer the great outdoors?" Bevin asked Skills.

"If you say so," Skills said and shrugged his shoulders.

"Skills," Lucas said tossing Skills a bag which happened to be Skills'.

"That didn't seem too enthusiastic." Nathan replied when Skills replied to Bevin.

"Yeah, Skills isn't really the outdoor type." Bevin said with a laugh.

"Oh that's okay. Pete isn't either. He's still trying to meet us out there." Peyton said. The whole group turned towards Peyton with their eyebrows rose wondering who Pete was.

"Who's Pete?" Haley asked handing one of the coffees to Peyton, and Peyton took it from Haley.

Bevin looked over at Rachel, as Rachel gave Bevin a questioning look. "Fall out Boy," She mouthed.

Brooke took off Peyton's bag and said, "He's Peyton's imaginary friend."

"Brooke, he's not imaginary. You saw us together at the concert." Peyton turned to her dark haired best friend.

"And now he loves you…" Brooke threw Peyton's bag in the car. "Wasn't that nice of Pete to put your bag in the car?" Brooke asked teasingly to her best friend. A roar of laughter came from the group of friends.

"You guys! He's coming!" Peyton said and she pouted her lips.

"Hey, you know what? Kanye is rolling through too." Skills teased Peyton. While everyone was laughing Skills and Mouth try to shove Skills' suitcase in the back of the car but it wouldn't seem to budge.

"Skills, we're only going to be gone for two nights…what is in that thing?" Bevin asked.

"Look baby if I'm going to be in the middle of the woods, I need all my stuff." Skills started naming off things on the tip of his fingers. "CD, DVD, MP3, my pillow…" Skills trailed off.

"Wait, but you know that we're not going to be staying IN the woods. We're going to be in a cabin." Peyton reminded Skills.

"Think less rustic." Rachel added.

"How much less rusting?" Skills asked and he tries to shut the car trunk door and when it doesn't close everyone erupts in another fit of laughter.

The gang eventually made the bag fit and they were now ready to head to the great outdoors. Lucas and Brooke rode in the back seat of Nathan and Haley's little black car. It was amazing how they fit back there even with all the suitcases. Brooke sat comfortable between Lucas' legs and he had his arms around her. The rest of the group piled up into Rachel's SUV. "Let's roll." Rachel said and they both took off towards the cabin.

When they arrive at the cabin, everyone gets out of the cars thought its more difficult for Brooke and Lucas because they were all scrunched up in the back.

"Now this is my kind of roughing it." Skills said, his eyes widening looking at how large the cabin was.

"I thought you might like it. Come on in." Rachel said and the group walked towards the cabin. Rachel unlocked the front door and pushed it open. She walked in and Lucas closed it behind him since he was the last one in.

"Rachel, this place is awesome!" Peyton said and Lucas looked at her and how she was in amazement at the cabin. Her beautiful green eyes were shining.

"It's been in my family for years. We hardly ever come here anymore. My dad mostly loans it out to clients." Rachel said and she points to the kitchen. "Uh, the kitchen's fully loaded." She said and then points to the back of the cabin outside. "There's a river for fishing. ATV's are in the garage. Plasma screens are upstairs. And then there is a hot tube in the back. There are five bedrooms. Take anyone but the master."

"Let's check them out!" Bevin said excitedly.

The group leaves the room and Brooke and Lucas are standing there watching everyone leave. Brooke holds her hand out for Lucas and he grabs her hand. She walks with him upstairs to find their room. She opens the door to one of the bedrooms and Brooke was very impressed how nice the bedroom was.

"Man this is nice." Lucas said and he touched the deer head that was hanging on the wall. "What does Rachel's dad do for a living, anyway?" Lucas asked.

Brooke jumped on the bed and started feeling around the mattress. "I don't know. Maybe he is like Tony Soprano or something. That would explain her personality." Brooke settles down in one spot.

"Look, Rachel did a very nice thing by inviting us here. Maybe this would be a good time to take it easy on her?" Lucas asked and Brooke groaned. Why did he always have to seem like the peace maker?

"But…isn't the point of this weekend for us to get back to normal? If Rachel and I aren't back at each other throats, it's like the terrorists have won." Brooke said clapping her hands together sarcastically and Lucas laughs softly at his girlfriend. "Look at you…" She whispered.

"What?" Lucas asked and he felt around his face wondering if there was anything on his face.

"Your smile….I missed it." Brooke said with a bright smile of her own on her face. Lucas walks towards her and she sits up on her knees.

"Well you make me smile." Lucas forced out between his teeth. So it wasn't completely true. There was a girl in the cabin that made him smile all the time. That truly made him happy.

"Oh, this weekend is SO going to pay off for you." Brooke said and she grabs a fistful of his shirt and she pulls him down on top of her. Lucas groans in agreement and smirks.

[O][T][H]

Mouth is standing at the window of the cabin downstairs and he hears footsteps approaching him. He looks over in the direction of the noise and he sees Rachel coming towards him.

"You better grab a bed. The good ones are going fast." She remarks.

"The couch is fine with me." Mouth replies in a solemn tone.

"Mouth, don't be stupid. Tell you what, why don't you just bunk with me—"Rachel said but was cut off by Mouth.

"Like I said…" Mouth started. "I'm good." He said glaring at her. Rachel nods.

"So that's how it's going to be?" Rachel asked and she rolls her eyes.

"You don't think I know what this weekend is about, Rachel?" Mouth asked. She turned around to face him. "This is you trying to get rid of your guilt for releasing the time capsule."

"If you hate me so much, why did you even come?" Rachel asked.

"I came for my friends. Especially Lucas, but make no mistake…" Mouth says walking closer to Rachel. "I'm here for everyone BUT YOU." Mouth says. Mouth walks off and Rachel lets out a sigh when she realizes she's all alone.

[O][T][H]

"Knock, knock," Nathan's voice came knocking on Lucas and Brooke's wooden door.

"Hold on!" Lucas' voice came from the other side. Lucas laughed and he stood up off the bed. He walked over to the door and he pulled it open.

"Dude…I interrupted something…" Nathan trailed off as he saw Brooke on the bed, and the bed was kind of already wrinkled.

"Yeah, but it's all good." Lucas laughed and Brooke gasped with a laugh.

"I was coming to see if you weren't too busy, maybe we could go test drive those ATV's?" Nathan asked and Lucas' eyes lit up.

"Hell to the fucking yes!" Lucas said and Nathan laughed. Lucas the remembered Brooke and he walked over to her. He gave her a kiss and then grabbed his grey sweatshirt. "We'll finish this later, babe." He said.

He walked out the door with Nathan, quietly to himself thanking Nathan for saving him. As much as he loved making out with Brooke, he couldn't help but wish that it had been Peyton under him. Lucas and Nathan walked out the back door and down to the garage. They pushed open the metal door and they saw the four ATV's. Mouth walked towards them.

"Are you all going out to ride those things?" Mouth asked.

"Yeah, you want to come?" Lucas asked.

"Sure!" Mouth agreed. Lucas and Nathan picked out their ATV's first and then Mouth grabbed another one.

Lucas and Nathan put their helmets on and took off for the woods down different paths and Mouth took off down one of the backwoods paths. They all eventually led right back to the cabin. They rode around for a while. Lucas and Nathan raced down two different paths and stopped to meet in the middle.

Lucas took off his helmet and he laughed. He was out of breath from laughing. "Nice jump back there."

"You too, I think we scared the crap out of some cows though." Nathan laughed taking off his helmet and placing it to the side.

"You know what? Maybe we should be careful, given our family driving history; one of us is bound to end up in the hospital." Lucas said and Nathan nodded smiling.

"Hey…" Nathan said and he pulls something out of his pocket. "Check this out…" He said. Nathan passes a gold ring over to Lucas.

Lucas looks at it carefully and thinks for a minute. "Are you proposing to me, little brother?" Lucas asked.

"Shut up, man!" Nathan laughed. "This is Haley's wedding band." He said with a smile. "I swiped it a couple of minutes ago. I need you to hold on to that for me."

"Why?" Lucas asked looking at the ring.

"Because I'm going to ask her to marry me," Nathan said and Lucas put his head in his hand and rubbed his temples as if he had a headache.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but didn't you already do that?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah but…I was thinking about Keith…and your mom…and how…they never got to stand up in front of their family and the world and tell everybody how they feel. You know?"

Lucas nods sadly.

"And Haley and I never did that either. So…now that we're back together, I wanna do things the right way." Nathan explained and he was going to continue but was caught off by another ATV engine coming towards them.

It stopped and Mouth lifted up the plastic that covered his eyes and he panted.

"Dude these things are awesome! I just scared the hell out of some cows! Woohooooooo!" Mouth yelled in excitement and he sped off. Nathan and Lucas sat back laughing.

"So what do you think man? Can you help me out?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, but you do know that Haley is going to FREAK when she finds out her ring is gone." Lucas said.

"Yeah, I know." Nathan said grimacing at the picture in his head and he puts on his helmet. Lucas does the same and they speed off together.

[O][T][H]

Haley groans and she slams the clothes drawer shut. "This can't be happening!" Haley said. She opens up her bags and she rummages through her clothes.

"What happened?" Peyton asked walking in behind her frantic friend.

"My ring is gone." Haley said in a panic mode.

"Your wedding ring is gone?" Rachel asked wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Haley replied.

"Why'd you take it off?" Rachel asked and Haley glared at her.

"Does that really matter?" Haley asked.

"Okay, Haley, calm down. Just stop, take a deep breath, HEY! Just stop," Peyton said putting her hands on Haley's arms and Haley nodded her head taking a deep breath.

"We'll find it. Think about where you last had it." Peyton said.

Haley looked at her bags. "I don't know. I had it on the car ride over here and then I just…" She trailed off as she started to fling the clothes everywhere. "…started unpacking and then I went…" Haley jumps on the bed and over to the other side. "…to the bathroom, I think." Haley said walking into the bathroom and Peyton and Rachel followed her in.

"I think I actually took it off when I washed my hands." Haley said and she searched around the pearl white sink top. Haley starts to panic as she looks into the sink. "Oh gosh, if I washed it down the drain Nathan is going to freak out!"

Peyton took a hold of Haley's shoulders. "Girl, chill. Okay? Even if it's down the drain we can get it back." Peyton said and she turned to Rachel. "Do you have a pipe wrench?"

"Oh sure, in my purse, next to the belt sander," Rachel said sarcastically and Haley grabbed Rachel by her shirt.

"Listen jokey. Go find a pipe wrench or I'll find one and beat you with it. Got it?" Haley threatened. She wasn't even close to being in the mood to deal with Rachel's bullshit.

"So glad I invited you." Rachel said pushing Haley off of her. "I'll go get the toolbox." Rachel said to Peyton. Rachel leaves and Peyton and Haley look over the sink and down the drain hole.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: I thought that this would be a good time to end this chapter. It's long and its only part one of the camping trip. If you noticed the minor details made to the episode, go you! More changes to the trip are coming so review this! And the more reviews I get, the quicker it'll be out! I love all my reviewers!**


	5. Tony Soprano's Cabin Part Two

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know that the last chapter disappointed most of the fans of this story because Lucas got back with Brooke. Well, before you decide to quit on me there is an explanation for that. The reason I had Lucas get back with Brooke was because he couldn't have Peyton and hence the whole thing with Keith's death he feels like he needs someone there and Brooke was in his reach. Trust me it won't last! Don't give up on me yet! Thanks for the reviews though…keep reviewing. Hopefully this chapter will be better for you, lovely reviewers. Any questions, comments, or anything, leave them in a review and I'll be happy to get back to you. :]**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Yeah, we're all going to get our hope back, Luke." She said and she started walking with him to the front door. "It's just going to take some of us longer than others, you know?"_

"_I have a feeling this is going to be a great trip." Nathan said._

"_All Rachel said was it was some kind of cabin." Peyton shrugged her shoulders._

"_Hey baby! Are you ready to conquer the great outdoors?" Bevin asked Skills._

"_That didn't seem too enthusiastic." Nathan replied when Skills replied to Bevin. _

"_Who's Pete?" Haley asked handing one of the coffees to Peyton, and Peyton took it from Haley._

_Brooke took off Peyton's bag and said, "He's Peyton's imaginary friend."_

"_Hey, you know what? Kanye is rolling through too." Skills teased Peyton._

"_Rachel, this place is awesome!" Peyton said._

"_Look at you…" She whispered._

"_What?" Lucas asked. "Your smile….I missed it." Brooke said._

"_I was coming to see if you weren't too busy, maybe we could go test drive those ATV's?" Nathan asked._

"_Dude these things are awesome! I just scared the hell out of some cows! Woohooooooo!" Mouth yelled._

"_Your wedding ring is gone?" Rachel asked wide-eyed._

"_Do you have a pipe wrench?"_

"_Oh sure, in my purse, next to the belt sander," Rachel said sarcastically._

"_Listen jokey. Go find a pipe wrench or I'll find one and beat you with it. Got it?" Haley threatened._

"_So glad I invited you." Rachel said pushing Haley off of her._

CHAPTER FIVE: Tony Soprano's Cabin [PART TWO]

Peyton finished undoing the pipe that was under the sink and she backed away as soon as all the junk started to fall into the plastic container they had under it. Searching for Haley's ring was going to be more disgusting then she thought it would be. Peyton made a face and she waited for the junk to stop pouring before taking the basket out from under it and she handed it to Haley.

"What is all this?" Haley asked with a disgusted look on her face.

"Well hopefully this is the crap hiding your ring." Peyton said staring down at the junk.

"So what do we do with it? Are we going to just sift through it?" Haley asked.

"Oh no, _we_ don't do anything. You can sift through it." Peyton said handing Haley a pair of gloves. Haley is reluctant to take them but eventually does.

"Knock, knock," A male voice came from behind the girls.

"Hey Luke, what's up?" Rachel asked.

"First of all, what the hell are you guys doing?" Lucas asked furrowing his eyebrows as he spots the grey junk in the bin.

"Haley lost her wedding ring." Peyton replied and Haley smacked her arm.

"Peyton, he's going to tell Nathan for sure!" Haley exclaimed.

"I won't say a word." He said and he zipped his lips closed. "Peyton, can I talk to you? Alone?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, sure, good luck Haley." Peyton said with a smirk on her face and she stood up from the floor. She stepped over Rachel and Haley made a face at her.

"Get going Tutor-Girl." Rachel said and Haley glared at her.

Peyton walked out of the bathroom with Lucas and he walked downstairs and onto the back porch where there was no one in clear sight.

"So….what's up Luke?" Peyton asked stuffing her hands in her back pockets.

"I need to talk to you about what happened in the library." Lucas replied.

"During the shooting or during the party that Brooke threw at the school?" Peyton asked raising her eyebrow.

"It kind of has to do with both." Lucas shrugged.

"We can't do this again, Lucas. I, no, _we_ hurt her really bad last time and…" Peyton trailed off because she was cut off by Lucas.

"I know, I just…I can't help it because I have these feelings for you." Lucas said and Peyton nodded her head.

"Lucas…Brooke's my best friend and you're her boyfriend, _again._" Peyton said.

"I'm only with her because you didn't want to be with me, _again_." Lucas pointed out to her and she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry…" Peyton said and she turned around and went back inside to check in on Haley. She ran up to the bathroom and she went to find Rachel. She found Rachel locking up a cabinet in the hallway.

"Hey, are there any paper towels in here?" Peyton asked reaching for the cabinet and Rachel jumped in front of the cabinet protectively.

"Nope, they're in the closet in the hall." Rachel said and Peyton noticed Brooke was watching the two of them.

"What's in there? Are you hiding something?" Brooke looked at her with her eyes filled with suspicion.

"No, it's nothing. It's private. You know how you don't like private things revealed." Rachel retorted and Brooke pouted crossing her arms.

"Rachel, did you find any napkins?" Haley asked coming around the corner entering the awkwardness of the three in the hall.

"Peyton knows where they are." Rachel said.

"Yeah, I'll go get those. Oh, and we're going out tonight. There is a party at this club tonight that Sunkist is sponsoring. It'll give us something to do." Peyton said.

"We still haven't found my ring!" Haley exclaimed holding some of the hair from the drain in her hand.

"Just hide that finger." Peyton said and walked off to get the paper towels. She helped Haley clean up the mess, and soon they were all getting ready to go the party at the club that was just outside of the town not too far from the cabin.

Within an hour of getting there, they had all been enjoying their time and of course Peyton was brooding in the corner because Pete hadn't shown up. Brooke had already given her enough grief about it, and she just wanted to go home.

"Peyton, help me please!" Mouth said and he took her hand and ran onto the dance floor with her.

"What's going on?" Peyton asked with a weird look on her face.

"A guy-man thing named Rudy keeps asking me to dance!" Mouth said nodding to behind him and Peyton busted out in laughter and started dancing with Mouth. For once, she was thoroughly enjoying herself that night.

Later that night Lucas is standing at the window in his room. After the night they had, he figured Brooke would be asleep, but she clearly wasn't. She had appeared behind him and put her arms around him.

"You okay over here Broody?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking…" He replied and he sighed.

"Thinking about what?" Brooke asked.

"About Keith…I have these moments where I feel like he is in the room with me. I can feel his presence."

"He is…" Brooke whispered and she laid her head on his shoulder.

He turned around and he lay down in the bed with her. It wasn't long before Brooke eventually passed out. Lucas however couldn't sleep. He snuck out of bed and he walked downstairs quietly. He went into the kitchen where he got a glass from one of the cabinets and he poured him some milk. He got some of his chocolate chip cookies that he had brought along with him and he went to sit outside. Sure, it was freezing outside but he wanted the space to think.

Much to his surprise he felt someone sit down next to him on the porch swing. "Are you eating chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk at midnight?" A female voice asked.

He turned his head and saw Peyton sitting next to him.

"Chocolate chip cookies and milk are my favorite snack and when I was little, and couldn't sleep, I always found Keith in the kitchen and we would sit there and eat cookies and drink milk together then we went back to sleep. I guess even at seventeen years old, I still do it."

"You couldn't sleep?" Peyton asked.

Lucas shook his head.

"Me either. I was thinking about our conversation earlier." Peyton whispered and he nodded his head using his foot to rock the chair back and forth.

"What about it?" Lucas asked.

"It's not that I don't have the same feelings for you Luke…" Peyton whispered and she looked over at him. "Because I do…but I don't want to hurt Brooke. And I don't want to double cross her again."

"I get it. I think I'm going to end things again. For good, I just don't think that it's fair to her that I'm not true about my feelings with her."

"She's going to hate you." Peyton said softly.

"I know, but it'll hurt worse if I stay with her for so long and not be true to her." Lucas said.

"It's so cold out here. Why don't you go eat that inside?" Peyton asked changing the subject.

"I don't know, but I'm freezing my ass off now." Lucas said standing up and Peyton followed him into the kitchen where they found Haley sitting with cookies and milk.

"You do the midnight cookie snack thing, too?" Peyton asked.

"I used to stay the night a lot with Keith and Lucas and Karen." Haley excused herself with a laugh.

They all sat down around the island and Peyton went to get a small glass of milk. When she joined into to eat cookies and drink milk, Lucas and Haley laughed at her.

"So why couldn't you sleep?" Peyton asked Haley.

Haley showed her the white ring tan on her finger where it was pale white from where her wedding ring would be.

"You still haven't found it?" Peyton asked.

"Nope, and I'm terrified of Nathan finding out. He's going to flip." Haley said.

"Haley, stop worrying your head about that. He's going to be okay with it. I promise." Lucas said and Haley sighed.

"I supposed you are right." Haley shrugged.

"Oh so, you listen to him when he tells you to stop worrying, but not me?" Peyton asked with a laugh.

"I'm going to bed. Thanks guys." Haley said and the two blondes nodded their heads.

When they coast was clear, Lucas started to chuckle to himself. Peyton looked over at him like he was some sort of psycho.

"What are you laughing about Scott?" Peyton asked.

Lucas took something out of his sweat pants pocket and he showed it to Peyton. It was Haley's gold wedding band. She put her hand over her mouth with an amused look on her face.

"Dude, you had her ring this whole time?" Peyton asked quietly.

Lucas nodded his head, "Nathan took it from her when she wasn't looking and then gave it to me to hold. He is going to ask her to marry him again, but he wants to do like a full blown out wedding this time."

"That's so funny and adorable at the same time." Peyton said and Lucas put the wedding ring away.

"Who would ever thought that Nathan would ever become the type to fall in love none the less marry his girlfriend in junior year and then again in senior year?" Peyton asked.

"I know, right?" Lucas asked with a laugh.

"Feel better?" Peyton asked looking at his empty plate where the cookies used to be.

"I do, I think I might be able to sleep." Lucas said standing up and Peyton agreed. "Thank you Peyton." He said softly.

"Why are you thanking me?" She asked.

"For the talk…for everything, really," Lucas said and he walked towards the stairs. "Goodnight."

Lucas headed back up to bed and he walked into the bedroom. He slipped into bed with Brooke without waking her, but she did stir a little bit. She stirred enough to unconsciously wrap her arms around him and cuddle with him.

Lucas fell asleep, and before he knew it the next morning had come. It was the last day that they would be staying at the cabin. Brooke was the first one to wake, and she made her way downstairs where she smelled something delicious cooking.

"Mmm, smells great." Brooke said stretching and she saw Pete Wentz behind the pancake machine.

"Morning," Pete replied. Brooke walked up to him and she planted a small kiss on his lips which continued till someone cleared their throat. Brooke broke apart to see Lucas and Peyton standing there in the kitchen.

"Oh, hi, Peyton…Lucas…" Brooke said furrowing her eyebrows. "I so thought this was a dream." Brooke said backing away from Pete and heading over to Peyton. "Pete Wentz from fall out Boy is here!" Brooke exclaimed quietly.

"I know," Peyton said and she walked over to Pete. She gave him a sort of awkward hug and Brooke and Lucas looked at the two of them.

"Brooke, can we go somewhere and talk?" Lucas asked uneasy.

"Yeah, sure thing, Boyfriend," Brooke said picking up her coffee cup and following him out of the cabin.

"Oh no," Peyton whispered and Pete gave her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" Pete asked.

"He's going to break up with her." Peyton said and Pete bit back his lip as they watched the couple leave.

Brooke and Lucas walked out of the house and sat down on the porch on the two chairs. She turned towards him and she saw an uneasy look in his eyes.

"We need to talk." Lucas said simply.

"This doesn't seem good." Brooke said and she took a sip of her coffee setting it down.

"Brooke…" Lucas said and Brooke cut him off.

"Are you breaking up with me again?" Brooke asked cutting Lucas off before he could start a huge speech.

"I'm sorry…" Lucas replied.

"I'm sorry is getting kind of old with you Lucas." Brooke said and she looked out at the woods. It was so peaceful out here. "Why?"

"I'm not going to lie to you Brooke…" He said shaking his head. "I just—I don't think it's going to be working out between us anymore. But I didn't want to stay with you and lie about my feelings because in the end it would have hurt more."

"I respect you for respecting my feelings this time." Brooke whispered after a long silence between them. "But this doesn't mean that I like you." She said.

"Brooke…"

"No, Lucas, I get it." Brooke said holding up her hand. "I get it, there's just not that spark between us anymore."

"Thank you." Lucas said and she looked kind of shocked when he thanked her.

"Excuse me?" Brooke asked.

"I meant thank you for helping me. You were there for me when Keith died even when I wouldn't let you all the in, and you were still there even when you kept your distance. I just wanted to thank you and I want you to know that I will _always_ be here for you." He whispered softly.

"You're welcome." Brooke whispered. "I need to go." Brooke stood up.

"Can we still be friends?" Lucas asked.

"You know that friends never work for us Lucas…but I guess we can try right?"

As much as she agreed to try to be friends with him, he could see the broken look in her eyes. He was responsible for breaking her heart, _again._ Lucas sighed and he sat down on one of the wooden steps and he put his head in his hands. He kept running from the truth and his talk last night with Peyton really made him want to stop running from the truth, and face it when he had to. But now, he was finally free from the love triangle they seemed to entangle themselves in. Brooke just didn't know his true feelings and who they were. He decided to bury that, and let whatever is going to happen, to let it happen.

After a while, Lucas stood up and he headed back inside. Brooke was sitting on the couch watching television. She wasn't exactly watching television. He knew that look. She was spaced out, holding back her emotions. Lucas looked at Peyton and Pete in the kitchen as they were trying to finish the pancakes for dinner. He had his arms around her from behind and she was laughing like crazy. Maybe she was truly just slipping through his fingers and he couldn't reach her. Peyton looked up and she saw Brooke sitting in the living room emotionless. She gave him a saddened look and then went back to do what she was doing with Pete in the kitchen.

"You wanna go on a walk?" Peyton asked Pete and he nodded once breakfast was finished. He took the apron off and followed her outside.

"You're friends seem pretty cool." Pete said.

Peyton laughed, "Right, you should have heard all the shit they were giving me because they didn't think you were going to show up. I was starting to actually think you were going to be my Snuffleupagus."

They both sit down on the swing near the hot tub. "What is a Snuffleupagus?"

"You watched Sesame Street, right?"

"No I was more like a Transformers kind of kid." Pete laughed.

"Oh no, okay, well Snuffleupagus is like this big, hairy, mopey, elephant looking thing that only Big Bird can see and so whenever he talked about him, everyone thought he was making him up." Peyton explained to Pete.

"Right, so Snuffleupagus would just show up and start cooking everyone breakfast?" He questioned.

"No…okay, maybe something like that." Peyton laughed. After a long pause, Peyton breaks the silence. "So, this is weird right? I don't know, I don't think I would have ever pictured this. You know, a famous rock star showing up in the middle of nowhere to hang out with a girl he barely knows."

"That's not exactly true." Pete said taking a seat next to her and laughing.

"What's not true?"

"I mean even though we just met each other, I feel like I know you pretty well. I mean I listen to your podcasts, saw your artwork, and met your Dad which was kind of scary, everything you talked about with Ellie and that Jake guy."

"Okay well I guess I know you pretty well too." Peyton replied. "I mean I know all the lyrics to your song like 'my pen is the barrel of the gun—remind me which side you should be on'" Peyton quoted back to him.

"So hot girl quotes me to me…is that wrong if it turns me on?" Pete asked.

"Maybe a little…" Peyton laughed. They leaned forward and kiss softly.

"This walk was a great idea." Pete said once they broke apart and Peyton smiled. Lucas unknowingly to the couple, watched from the window. Haley stood next to him with a hand on his arm comforting him.

Later that night Pete, Peyton, and Rachel are helping out to cook dinner while Lucas has just come from his shower upstairs and Peyton looks up at him giving him sort of a sympathetic smile and he nods his head.

"Hey Luke," Peyton called. "It's getting real dark out. Where are Skills and Bevin?" She asked stirring the food in the bowl.

"If they stay out too much long, they will miss dinner." Rachel let him know.

"You're right, do you have a flashlight?" He asked Rachel. Rachel bends down and pulls a flash light from under the cabinet and tosses it to him. He catches it and he thanks her.

"Perfect, be right back." He said and he walked outside standing on the porch and pointed the flashlight to the woods.

"Bevin! Skills!" Lucas calls out waiting for a response from the couple who had gone exploring today and never returned. Soon they appeared out of the woods and Skills laughed.

"Are you guys coming to dinner, or what?" Lucas asked.

Bevin and Skills head up to the cabin and upstairs to wash up and get ready for dinner. After dinner, the group of teenagers decided to sit around in the living room and play a game of 'I Never' and that game never turned out well with these group of kids.

"I'll start!" Bevin said and she pointed to Pete. "I've never had a gold record." Pete takes a drink from his cup.

"Okay Pete's turn." Mouth said.

"I've never spent a cool weekend in the woods." Pete said and they all took a drink to his I never.

"That was lame." Rachel said and Brooke gasped.

"That was rude." She retorted.

"I never got caught 'brooking' myself in the bedroom yesterday." Rachel shot back at her. Brooke gasped.

"You said you wouldn't tell!"

"We didn't shake on it." Brooke got up from the floor and she practically tackled Rachel. Lucas jumped up and he pulled Brooke off of Rachel and she pulled out of his grasp. "Let me go."

Rachel smirked at her. Nathan ends up leaving the room and Lucas follows him. He guessed it had something to do with the fight, and he didn't want to be a apart of the drama which Lucas understood.

"You okay Nate?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah…I was just trying to think of an 'I never' and I've never spent enough time with Keith. But it's weird…Even though he's gone a part of me still feels happy for the time that I did have with him."

"I think that's what this weekend is about. You know, not regretting our pasts, but appreciating everything we've got now. We have great friends, we have made great memories together, and you know what? I think that's exactly how he would have wanted it to be." Lucas said. Nathan nodded in agreement.

"So I heard you broke up with Brooke?" Nathan asked after a brotherly hug.

"Who did you hear it from?" Lucas asked.

"Well Brooke kind of came into our room and cried for a while. She told us that you broke up with her."

"Yeah, I did. I just wasn't feeling our relationship anymore. I didn't want to stay with her and lie to her. It wouldn't have been fair to hurt her worse in the end then do it now when I first realize it."

"That's good, man, but this break up wouldn't have to do with a certain short haired blonde girl in there would it?" Nathan asked.

Lucas looked into the window to see Peyton laughing along with the group.

"Yeah, actually…it does." Lucas said.

"I knew it!" Nathan laughed.

"It won't happen. She clearly doesn't want to lose Brooke over me again, so I have to step back and respect that." Lucas said.

"I know, man. If you guys are meant to be together, the right time will find you." Nathan said and Lucas nodded.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: SO there it is! It was an extra-long chapter to finish out the camping trip, but still I enjoyed writing it. I hope you like the twist I made to it! I hope more of you were pleased this time. LEAVE ME SOME REVIEWS! 3**


	6. Chicago, Here I Come

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys keep this story going and I really want this story to go on! So here's thanks to all those who reviewed this chapter: **_**ninjastar13, lukenpeyton4ever, OTHGirl24, grayfan, AaBb**_**, and a SPECIAL thank you to the amazing **_**MelindaCasey.**_** She gave an ****extra-long amazing**** review! And the part that you mentioned in the review about the part in chapter 3 that you loved…I couldn't stop laughing to myself out loud while writing it. : P So here's chapter six! **

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_First of all, what the hell are you guys doing?" Lucas asked furrowing his eyebrows as he spots the grey junk in the bin._

"_Haley lost her wedding ring." Peyton replied and Haley smacked her arm. _

"_Peyton, he's going to tell Nathan for sure!" Haley exclaimed._

"_Peyton, can I talk to you? Alone?" Lucas asked._

"_I need to talk to you about what happened in the library." Lucas replied._

"_Lucas…Brooke's my best friend and you're her boyfriend, again." Peyton said._

"_I'm sorry…" Peyton said and she turned around and went back inside to check in on Haley._

"_Peyton, help me please!" Mouth said and he took her hand and ran onto the dance floor with her._

"_Yeah, I'm just thinking…" He replied and he sighed. _

"_Thinking about what?" Brooke asked._

"_About Keith…I have these moments where I feel like he is in the room with me. I can feel his presence." _

"_Me either. I was thinking about our conversation earlier." Peyton whispered._

"_What about it?" Lucas asked._

"_It's not that I don't have the same feelings for you Luke…" Peyton said._

"_You do the midnight cookie snack thing, too?" Peyton asked._

"_I used to stay the night a lot with Keith and Lucas and Karen." Haley excused herself with a laugh._

"_What are you laughing about Scott?" Peyton asked._

"_Dude, you had her ring this whole time?" Peyton asked quietly._

"_What's wrong?" Pete asked._

"_He's going to break up with her." Peyton said._

"_Are you breaking up with me again?" Brooke asked._

"_Brooke…" _

"_So hot girl quotes me to me…is that wrong if it turns me on?" Pete asked._

"_Maybe a little…" Peyton laughed. They leaned forward and kiss softly. _

"_That's good, man, but this break up wouldn't have to do with a certain short haired blonde girl in there would it?" Nathan asked._

_Lucas looked into the window to see Peyton laughing along with the group. _

"_Yeah, actually…it does." Lucas said._

CHAPTER SIX: Chicago, Here I Come

"Lucas Eugene Scott." Haley scolded walking into his bedroom. Lucas groaned pulling the covers over his head and he tried to block out her voice. "Do not try to ignore me. You have explaining to do."

Lucas threw the covers off of him. "What the hell did I do this time?"

"You had my wedding ring the whole weekend!" Haley said and then she broke out in laughter. "He asked me to marry him again."

"And you said?" Lucas asked playing a very serious look on his face.

"Ha-ha. You're so funny. Of course I said yes!" Haley grinned.

"Good." He said and he adjusted himself in bed. "Can you go now? I have to get some sleep."

"Dude, you can't go back to sleep. You have school." Haley reminded him and he almost screamed into his pillow. He hadn't gotten a good night of sleep since lately due to the death of his Uncle. All he did was toss and turn all night.

Lucas stood up and Haley left the room. He went into the bathroom and he started a shower. When it was the right temperature, he stepped in and he lathered up. He quickly showered and got out. Today was game day and since it was game day that mandated the basketball players to wear dress pants, a dress shirt and a tie with it while the cheerleaders had to wear their uniforms. Why? He didn't know. Lucas dressed in appropriate clothing to find his brother and sister in law on his living room couch.

"Why aren't you guys at school?"

"We were waiting to give you a ride." Nathan replied.

"Oh, okay. I'm ready." Lucas said shrugging his shoulders. He grabbed his backpack and he walked towards the front door.

When they arrived at school, it was still a struggle to head into the school, but he put on a brave face and did what he had to do. Lucas found himself pretty much floating through the day. He wasn't exactly in the day dreaming state, but he also wasn't conscious in most of his classes. His attendance though was the only thing he needed to be able to play in that night's game. Before the game, he found himself in the locker room staring at his locker. He had though back to earlier in the day and he hadn't even said a word to Peyton or Brooke. He must have really been out of it. Brooke though was purposely avoiding him, probably.

Lucas stares at the uniform in front of him. The uniform is black. It has his number on it and in the corner is a patch stitched with the letter K on it. It was in memory of Keith. Nathan enters the locker room but Lucas barely hears him. It was the first game he had played since Lucas lost his Uncle. He wasn't sure if he was ready to play again.

"We're wearing black jerseys tonight, for Keith." Nathan said and Lucas nods silently. "First game back, you ready for this, brother?"

"Yeah…I think so." Lucas replied unsure of his own answer.

"The whole team is there for you man. I got your back out there tonight." Nathan said and pats his brother on the back. He then exits the locker room leaving Lucas alone again.

Lucas looks back at the jersey and picks it up in his hands. He runs the jersey 'K' patch through his fingers tracing its stitching. Silently Whitey enters the room and watches Lucas, then exits again shaking his head silently. Lucas turns over the jersey to see the name 'SCOTT' printed in bold white letters.

Lucas changes quickly into his uniform and he looks down at the jersey on himself as if he were trying on a basketball jersey for the first time, like when Whitey had sent him a jersey in a packaged before he even joined the team. He sighed and he pressed his lips together trying to calm his nerves and relieve the sorrow. Nothing works though. Lucas nods his head silently to himself and then heads out of the locker room and into the hallway to the gym. In the hallway, he sees Peyton standing against the trophy box.

"Hi." Peyton whispered pushing herself off the trophy case and walking towards him slowly. He nodded his head in response. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I think." He said and he shrugged his shoulders.

"I know this is going to be hard, but you can do this Lucas. You're strong." She said and she put her hands on his muscular arms and patted them.

She turned and linked her arm through his. She walked with him to the gym and let go of him. He walked through the doors and he walked out onto the court. Peyton ended up having to walk around to the other entrance where the Raven cheerleaders were. Whitey watched as Nathan got ready to jump for the ball, but his eyes were mainly on Lucas as Lucas had frozen up on court and he was holding the patch and looking into the stands.

Nathan turns to look at his brother and sees him frozen in some kind of gaze. He holds the jump for the ball and he walks over to his brother.

"I'm sorry." Lucas said softly and he walked towards his coach with a lost look in his eyes. "I can't play tonight, Coach." Lucas whispered and Whitey nodded his head patting Lucas on the back. Lucas made a quick exit from the court, to the hallway that led back to the locker room.

"Justin, you're in."

"Coach…we're in this together. That's what you taught us right?" Nathan asked and he looked at Whitey. The coach nodded his head and Nathan walks after his brother. The coach asks to forfeit the game, and the referee calls it.

Nathan enters the locker room and he sees his brother changing back into his shirt and tying up his tie around his neck.

"You guys didn't have to forfeit the game. You didn't have to do that for me." Lucas said.

"Hey. I told you, we got your back." Nathan said looking at his brother sincerely.

"Thanks." Lucas said and he nodded his head.

"Look here's the thing though. All these guys would walk through fire for you Luke. Question is you really going to make them do that?" Nathan asked. Lucas gave him a solemn look as if he was regretting that he didn't want to play and made the team forfeit. "Look…remembers when I didn't want to play in this crappy old gym? Do you remember what you said to me?"

"It's not just about us…" Lucas quotes himself from an earlier time when they first moved into the old gym.

"Yeah, and you were right. I mean, these guys deserve a shot at state. This is Whitey's last year, Luke. Look I'm going to everything I can to help you get through this, but we can't forfeit the whole season."

"I know." Lucas said and he exits the locker room. Lucas walks back into the old field house and it's completely empty. The only thing he hears is sounds of the crowd roaring from earlier that night. He forced that crowd to go home.

"Are you going to be okay?" A voice came from behind Lucas. He turned around and saw Peyton there.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I think." Lucas said. He had been saying that all day. He wasn't sure of much of anything anymore.

"You want to go grab a pizza, and maybe talk about it?" Peyton asked. Lucas nodded his head.

"Sure." Lucas said and the two blondes walked out of the gymnasium together. They both walked towards the closest diner, and that was the other one in competition with Karen' Café. They walked in and found themselves a booth, setting their bags next to them.

"So you wanna talk about it?" Peyton asked.

"Talk about what?" Lucas questioned not looking up from the menu.

"Why we had to forfeit the game tonight?" Peyton asked.

"I didn't want the whole team to forfeit but it's a team…and we do things as a team." Lucas said.

"Why couldn't you play?" Peyton asked.

"I just…I was wearing a jersey that was in Keith's honor, and I looked up into the stands. The first game we won this season in that rustic old gym, him and my mom jumped up and they shared a kiss and cheered. I looked up into the stands and he wasn't there. I just…I don't know." Lucas tried to explain but he knew it didn't exactly make sense.

"Lucas, that's the reason they made those jerseys the way they did." Peyton sighed and Lucas nodded.

"I think I'll just quit." Lucas said.

[O][T][H]

Nathan and Haley are lying in bed together wrapped up in the sheets. Nathan was trying to seduce his wife to go for another round with him, and she was just about to give in when she heard a noise outside of their bedroom. The rest of the apartment was dark leaving the noise to scare the living crap out of Haley. She darted up and Nathan furrowed his eyebrows.

"What the hell?" Nathan asked and he jumped out of bed. He put his basketball shorts on and he looked around for a blunt object to hit the intruder with.

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Haley asked.

"Just stay here." Nathan said and he started down the hallway. He saw the figure in the living room and he went at the intruder with the bat but then the lights flickered on and he stopped immediately when he saw his Uncle standing against the couch.

"Cooper?" Nathan asked.

"Hey little nephew," Cooper greeted with a smirk and he took a sip of his beer that he had gotten from Nathan's refrigerator.

"Haley, it's okay." Nathan called back to the bedroom and he dropped the bat. He hugged his uncle and Haley came out with just Nathan's shirt on her.

"It's Haley right?" Cooper asked and she nodded her head. Cooper went towards the stove and he warmed up the plate of eggs that he had cooked in the dark before Nathan had caught him. "I always wanted to meet the girl who made Nathan crash a perfectly good racecar."

"I always did want to meet the Uncle who _let_ Nathan crash a perfectly good racecar." Haley retorted back jokingly with a smile on her face. She sat up on the stool at the breakfast bar and Nathan joined her. Cooper put eggs on all three of their plates and he sat down next to his nephew.

"She's tough, Nate. I like her. You know your mom is back in town." Cooper said and Nathan nodded at the last part of his sentence.

"Yeah she called actually. She had the decency not to storm our apartment at one in the morning." Nathan said sarcastically but with a real laugh.

"Hey, give me a break. I was hungry, all right? Oh by the way, I met this smoking hot girl. She's 26, she's a model, and you know…my type." Cooper said and Nathan laughed. "She's home from New York. She's house sitting for her parents. I'm telling you. God loves me."

"So I take it that you're staying awhile then?" Nathan asked.

"Absolutely, Nate, if you saw this girl, you'd know why too." Cooper said and with that he received a glare from Nathan's wife, Haley. "Sorry…" Cooper said with a laugh.

"So I heard about Keith. I'm sorry Nate." Cooper broke the silence between his nephew and Haley. "How's Lucas taking it?"

"Not good." Nathan replied simply.

"He walked off the court in the game tonight. We had to forfeit the game." Haley filled Cooper in.

"He'll be okay. Lucas is a strong boy." Cooper said and they both nodded in agreement and finished their meal.

[O][T][H]

Peyton lied still in her bed alone and she felt her phone buzzing under her pillow. She awoke and she reached for it. The name on the screen was blurry but after adjusting to the light, she saw it was Pete. She answered the phone groggily.

"You are the hardest person to keep in touch with." Peyton said.

"_I know. I'm sorry about that but you know being a famous rock-star and all…It has its trials."_ Pete said.

"I bet—"She was cut off by a beeping on her phone. A call from Lucas was on the other line. "Pete, can you hold on?" She asked.

"_Yeah, sure that's not a problem."_ Pete said. Peyton switched over the phone call.

"Lucas? Is everything okay?" Peyton asked.

"_Yeah, I just couldn't sleep. I'm sorry."_ Lucas replied.

"No, no, don't be sorry. You didn't wake me up exactly." Peyton laughed.

"_Oh, what's up?"_ Lucas asked.

"Pete is on the other line." Peyton said with a small laugh.

"_Oh, I'm sorry. I'll let you go."_ Lucas said and before Peyton could protest, he was gone. Peyton switched back the phone call and she carried on a conversation with Pete for a few minutes. She couldn't seem to get Lucas off her mind though. Why couldn't he sleep? He probably just wanted to make sure that she was safe, because he was having nightmares of what happened at the school that day. She knew him too well.

[O][T][H]

The next day Karen was standing at her kitchen sink. It was the first time she had been out of her room since the funeral. Karen's hair stood in different directions and a robe was wrapped tightly around her. Her fragile body needed food and a drink, but she didn't feel like eating. She heard a voice from behind her and she turned around to see Deb entering her house.

"Hi Karen…" Deb said and Karen just stared at her. "I apologize for not being able to make it to the funeral. I got back as soon as I could."

Deb looked around the dirty kitchen, and then she glanced down the hallway. The house was filthy. "How are you holding up?" Deb asked but she knew the answer to the question. "The important thing is that you get yourself back on your feet. I'm here to help you in any way that I can."

"You've done enough Deb." Karen said harshly.

"What are you talking about?" Deb asked.

Lucas was about to exit his room when he heard his mother talking with Nathan's mother Deb. He backed up and he stood in his doorway clearly hidden to hear their conversation.

"Keith told me that you tried to kill Dan." Karen said.

"It was a terrible mistake! Not a day goes by that I don't regret what I did, Karen." Deb said. Lucas sat back shocked.

"Yeah, well my son ran into the dealership. He ran into that burning building to fix your mistake! I could've lost him like I have lost Keith!" Karen said.

"I'm so sorry that happened. I had no idea he was there. Thank God, Lucas is okay." Deb said.

"NEWSFLASH DEB, HE'S NOT OKAY. NONE OF ARE OKAY. AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND JIMMY EDWARDS IS THAT HE WAS SUCCESSFUL." Karen yelled at Deb, and she broke down in tears.

Karen stares at Deb.

Lucas closes his door softly. He looks around for his gray sweatshirt and he finds it. He slips it over his head. He sighed softly. He slipped on his sweat pants and grabbed his basketball. He needed to get some things off his mind. What the hell was that conversation about? Deb really tried to kill Dan? Lucas saved Dan because he thought that the fire was accidental? What the hell was his problem? What the hell was anyone's problem anymore? He exited out of his side door and ran towards the court that wasn't too far from his home. He arrived at the court and he started to shoot around but every time he tried to shoot the ball, it missed the hoop. The ball rolls away and Lucas fetches it but sees that Cooper has it in his hands.

"I thought that this game was more exciting."

"Coop, it was rumored that you were back in town." Lucas said.

"How're you doing?" Cooper asked and they hugged one another. "I knew that I'd find you here. You know whenever I do my big thinking I find myself in an empty racetrack. The silence clears my head."

"I know what you mean, that's why I'm out here." Lucas said. "So when does the circuitstart back up?"

"For the drivers it starts up in three weeks, but for me it doesn't. I blew my ride." Cooper said.

"What the hell happened?" Lucas asked.

"Well for one thing I let my nephew crash a perfectly good racecar into a wall and then things got pretty dark from there on out."

"Sorry…" Lucas apologized.

"Yeah, you know when they told me that I couldn't drive…I thought my life was over. I thought that racing was all that I had in life. You know? Racing defined who I was. Then the next day…the sun came up, the world kept turning, and I knew that I was going to be okay without it. Though it took me awhile to realize it, but I knew I was never going to race again but I know that I can still be happy." Cooper said and Lucas knew what he meant. He didn't think he could relate more to Cooper then in that moment.

"I know what you mean." Lucas whispered.

"What's going on Luke?"

"I have a heart condition. The same one that Dan has. It's genetic and it was a fifty/fifty chance between me and Nathan. Of course, I have the heart condition."

"Are you taking any medicine for it?"

"I was. I even went to live with Dan so that he would keep it a secret from my mom, and so that he would pay for it."

"Damn. What is this heart condition exactly?"

"HCM, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, basically the heart muscles thicken and the beating becomes irregular and my heart has to work harder to keep me alive. But when there was a condition to Dan's agreement. He had been screwing Keith over at the time. He had hired some woman to fall in love with Keith then break his heart for Dan's pleasure and it worked but I found out about it and he told me he would pay for my medicine if I lived with him and kept it a secret. At the end of the summer, I stopped living with him because it was fucked up what he did to Keith and then I ran out of pills. I then started stealing money from my mom's café to pay for the medicine but eventually it got out of hand and she knew there was money missing. Haley ended up taking the fall for me."

"What a good friend." Cooper said.

"Yeah, she's my best friend but currently I'm not on them and everyone knowing about my condition would take basketball away from me."

"Remember what I said Luke. You'll wake up, the sun will rise, the world will still be turning, and you'll realize you'll be okay without it." Cooper said and patted Lucas on the shoulder. Lucas nodded his head softly. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't know how to approach it.

[O][T][H]

Lucas ended up taking Cooper's advice but he wasn't going to tell Whitey yet. He wanted to wait a few more days to finalize his decision. Of course, he attended practice but he still wasn't sure that he was going to be able to play the next game. Lucas walked up to Whitey and he told Whitey that he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play.

"Basketball has always been a huge part of who I am. I've been thinking a lot about it, and I don't think that I can play, coach because I don't see why this game even matters anymore."

"You know every time we come into this gym, we come in under that old banner. It says 'home of the Monarchs'. Does anyone know who the monarchs were?"

"The Monarchs were a great basketball team in the 50's." One of the players replied.

"Yeah, some people say they were. No one knew about them though because they were never in the record books. They were never in the record books because they were an all-black team. Back in those days, when I was seventeen years old, blacks and whites weren't allowed to play with each other, specifically this game. I was on the best team in North Carolina, but we all knew that there was another team that was runner up for best in the state. They were the Monarchs. One night, both teams came to this gym, and they both locked themselves in here and squared off. They were both good. Oh they were _damn_ good. We played four games. They got their shots and we got ours. And then something magical happened in that gym, something that no one had ever anticipated. It was something that had never happened in the state before. We decided to mix the teams. Their captain and our captain started to pick players. I was the last one picked and their captain looked me in the eye and said, 'I'll take Whitey'. So the name just stuck. That night changed our lives for the better. We were no longer black players or white players. We were just players. We shut out the world and everything they were saying and we just played the game that we loved. You want me to tell you why this game matters?" Whitey said the last question he addressed to Lucas.

"I promise you that this game matters. Let the game heal you, son. Come back to us." Whitey said.

[O][T][H]

Lucas knocks on the door of Peyton's bedroom and she turns around. It's clear that she's packing her bag.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked completely forgetting why he had come to visit her in the first place.

"To see Pete in Chicago, he left me a ticket. My dad said that I should go if that's what my heart wants. And I don't want to look back on this and wonder what if."

"You can't go." Lucas said softly and Peyton looked at him.

"Why the hell can't I?" She asked.

"Because, I can't let you go." Lucas said after a long pause.

"Lucas…" Peyton said not wanting to go over this again with him. She turned towards her bag and she zipped it up. "I am going."

"Peyton…" Lucas said and he reached out for her arm. He turned her around and he captured her lips with his. Peyton immediately fell into the kiss, her heart fluttering.

After a few seconds, she broke away. "You have got to stop doing that! I'm going to see Pete, and that's that." Peyton said and he nodded his head. He turned around and he left her room. He had to let her go. Clearly she didn't want him.

Peyton's lips were still tingling from the passion that the kiss held. What the hell did she just do? She sent Lucas away. _Again._

**AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: **There it is! I think it was a fantastic chapter! Trust me; this story is just taking of. PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING, LOVES.


	7. Save Me

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay! I received a much better response to the last chapter! I love my reviewers. Thanks to **_**OTHGirl24, lukenpeyton4ever, grayfan, julianafun, AnnOTH21, AaBb, MelindaCasey, **_**and**_** leytonbreylan!**__**Leytonbreylan**_** has returned and sent me 3 reviews in one night. : P This story is for you guys! Here's number seven!**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_He asked me to marry him again."_

"_And you said?" Lucas asked._

"_We're wearing black jerseys tonight, for Keith." Nathan said._

"_The whole team is there for you man. I got your back out there tonight." Nathan said._

"_Hi." Peyton whispered. "How are you?"_

"_I can't play tonight, Coach." Lucas whispered._

"_Coach…we're in this together. That's what you taught us right?" Nathan asked._

"_You guys didn't have to forfeit the game. You didn't have to do that for me." Lucas said._

"_Hey. I told you, we got your back." Nathan said looking at his brother sincerely._

"_Are you going to be okay?"_

"_I think I'll just quit." Lucas said._

"_Cooper?" Nathan asked._

"_Hey little nephew," Cooper greeted_

"_I always wanted to meet the girl who made Nathan crash a perfectly good racecar." _

"_I always did want to meet the Uncle who let Nathan crash a perfectly good racecar." Haley retorted._

"_Hey, give me a break. I was hungry, all right?"_

"_Hi Karen…" Deb said and Karen just stared at her. "I apologize for not being able to make it to the funeral. I got back as soon as I could." _

"_Keith told me that you tried to kill Dan." Karen said._

"_I'm so sorry that happened. I had no idea he was there. Thank God, Lucas is okay." Deb said._

"_NEWSFLASH DEB, HE'S NOT OKAY. NONE OF ARE OKAY. AND AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND JIMMY EDWARDS IS THAT HE WAS SUCCESSFUL." Karen yelled at Deb, and she broke down in tears._

"_I thought that this game was more exciting." _

"_Coop, it was rumored that you were back in town." Lucas said._

"_I have a heart condition. The same one that Dan has. It's genetic and it was a fifty/fifty chance between me and Nathan. Of course, I have the heart condition."_

"_Remember what I said Luke. You'll wake up, the sun will rise, the world will still be turning, and you'll realize you'll be okay without it." Cooper said._

"_Peyton…" Lucas said and he reached out for her arm. He turned her around and he captured her lips with his. Peyton immediately fell into the kiss, her heart fluttering._

"_You have got to stop doing that! I'm going to see Pete, and that's that." Peyton said. _

CHAPTER SEVEN: Save Me

Lucas sat on the couch of his brother's apartment and he folded his hands together. "Lucas, is everything okay? You seem kind of out of it." Lucas didn't answer his brother.

"I kissed Peyton yesterday."

"Congrats man!" His brother said ready to give him a high-five but Lucas didn't have the same reaction.

"She's going to see Pete in Chicago. She doesn't want anything to do with me in the romantic sense." Lucas said folding his hands together.

"Oh, man…" Nathan said dropping his hand, feeling bad for getting all excited the way he did.

"Look Pete is a famous rock-star, and Peyton is just an ordinary girl…eventually it's not going to work out because he's going to meet someone of his 'kind', per say." Haley said and that made the brothers laugh. "What?" Haley asked completely oblivious to what they were laughing at.

"Pete apparently is a person of his own 'kind'." Nathan mocked Haley. She hit him upside the head and Lucas laughed.

"I just got to let her go, and if she comes back then I guess we'll see where we go from there." Lucas said.

As much as Lucas wanted to let her go, he didn't feel like he was strong enough to do so.

[O][T][H]

Peyton walked up to the information desk at the New Brunswick Municipal Airport. "I'm here to pick up a plane ticket for Peyton Sawyer." Peyton said softly to the assistant.

"I will need to see some ID." The assistant said. Peyton pulled out her driver's license and showed it to the girl. "Here you go." The woman said and gave her the ticket.

"Have a nice flight." The woman said.

"Thank you." Peyton said and then she hesitantly started walking towards the terminal that her flight was supposed to take off from.

She passed through security easily, and then stood in line when they had called her row. She had barely just made it in time. She waited for the line to pass through and she finally gave the lady her ticket.

"Enjoy your flight, ma'am." The lady said and she handed her the ticket stub, and Peyton walked onto the plane.

She hadn't pursued a serious relationship since Jake. She used to be so in love with Jake. She was pretty sure that her heart lied with Lucas though. But she wanted Pete. Hell, she didn't know what she wanted anymore. Peyton sat down in her seat and a few minutes after she had sat down they closed the door to the plane. Peyton looked out of the window and watched as another plane landed and pulled into the terminal next to hers. She sighed and she closed her window shade.

[O][T][H]

"You need to go after her." Haley said after a few minutes of plain silence between the family members.

"What?" Lucas asked looking up at his best friend who also was his sister in law.

"You need to go after her. You can't just sit around and mope about letting her go!" Haley said standing up and walking into the kitchen to grab the ringing phone.

"What have I been doing, Haley? I've been chasing her and she wants NOTHING to do with me." Lucas explained.

"We all know that isn't true!" Haley said before answering the phone.

"She's right, bro." Nate said and Lucas sighed looking down at the carpeted floor.

"I'll call you when I get to Chicago." Lucas jumped off the couch and practically ran out the door.

"What was he running from?" Brooke appeared in the doorway of Nathan and Haley's apartment.

"I scared him off." Haley lied but then fake laughed to make it a bit more convincing.

"Nice, I haven't seen him ever run for his life like that." Brooke laughed. "So what's on your agendas for today?"

"Nothing much, was kind of just hanging around the apartment." Nathan shrugged off his shoulders.

"Yeah, lazy bum is hanging around that apartment but I have to get to the tutor center." Haley said kissing her husband quickly and walking out of the apartment.

[O][T][H]

Lucas practically ran across the airport and just as he arrived at the terminal for the Chicago flight, the plane was pulling away from the terminal. "No! Wait! Stop the plane!"

"Sir, we can't stop the plane when it's already en route." The lady at the entrance told him.

"When's your next flight to Chicago?" Lucas asked frantically.

"If you hurry in gate 33 C is the next flight. You still have about twenty minutes till it leaves." The woman typed keys rapidly on the computer.

"Thanks so much." Lucas said and he ran towards the gate that he had been directed too. "Do you have a last minute ticket to spare?"

"Yeah, I do. What is your name sir?" The woman asked.

"Lucas Scott." He said and he tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk.

"Going after a girl?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, I think it's something like that." He said.

"Here you go, Lucas. Go get her." She said and he nodded his head. He practically ran onto the plane.

He sat down in one of the seats and of course it was a window seat. Lucas loved window seats. When he was in the air, everything looked tiny. He felt in control of a world that seemed to spin out of his control when he was on his feet. Lucas tapped his foot, his knee shaking uncontrollably.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" The woman flight attendant asked once they were up in the air.

"What?" Lucas asked coming out of his daze.

"Can I get you anything to drink or could you use someone to talk to?" The flight attendant offered.

"I'll pass on the therapist, but I'll take a sprite please." He said and she nodded her head walking away with his order.

[O][T][H]

Peyton's plane landed in Chicago, and she bit her lip. She was sort of nervous to see Pete again. Pete was an internationally famous rock star interested in a tortured artist from a little po-dunk town in North Carolina. It didn't seem right. Peyton got off the plane and she looked around for Pete or someone that was here to pick her up to see Pete but she didn't see anyone. She sat down in the arrival hallway and she sighed unhappily. She knew it was too good to be true.

[O][T][H]

Lucas's plane landed in Chicago, an hour after Peyton's did. He wondered how he was going to find Peyton in the city of Chicago. He exited the plane and he almost practically ran through the arrival area. He slowed down as he saw a familiar blonde sitting in the airport with no one around her.

"I thought I was going to have to run all over the city of Chicago for you." Lucas said panting obviously from the loss of breath.

"Lucas, what the—"She replied and stood up quickly losing her balance and he caught her in his arms.

"This is my last attempt. I've chased you since that day in the library…and you keep giving me reasons…no actually you keep giving me ONE reason why you can't be with me." Lucas said standing her straight up looking deep into her beautiful green eyes.

"I give you the same reason, because Brooke means the world to me and if we were to be together it would KILL her Lucas. It would probably literally kill her this time."

"Peyton…what's more important to you? That you are finally getting the chance to be with someone that you have wanted to be with and possibly have true love with or sacrificing all that for your best friend and losing everything?"

"Lucas…we can't do this…" She said and she walked closer to him.

"Peyton…" Lucas said and they were close enough to where their body heat was radiating off each other.

Lucas leaned in and he moved his hands up to her face. He stroked her cheek softly and their eyes closed as their lips came together in a simple, slow, but perfectly passionate kiss. She dropped her bag and slipped her arms up and wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck returning the kiss in full form.

After a minute or so they both broke for air and Lucas pressed his forehead to hers. "I want to be able to kiss you like that all the time."

"I want you to kiss me like that all the time." Peyton replied and she reached up and kissed him again. "So, you flew all the way to Chicago for me?"

"It was my last chance. I couldn't wait till you got back to tell me you had fallen madly and hopelessly in love with Pete Wentz."

"I was never going to fall madly and hopelessly in love with Pete Wentz. I wasn't going to be able to when my heart was already taken."

"Oh yeah, that guy has to be the luckiest guy in the world." Lucas said tightening his arms around her.

"Oh no, I would say I'm the luckiest girl in the world. He's the most amazing man ever." Peyton chuckled softly tucking her face into his shoulder.

"So now that we're in Chicago, where do we go from here?" Lucas asked.

"We should check out the town, and head back after the weekend. Why don't we go to a fall out Boy concert while we're here?" Peyton smirked at the last part of her sentence.

"You're so funny." Lucas said and she nodded her head. He wrapped his arm around her and she did the same to him. He smiled and pulled her closer.

[O][T][H]

As the night started to come to an end, Lucas and Peyton had checked into a small hotel in Chicago. He used most of the money he had to pay for it, and with the rest he bought them a pizza.

"I think I have enough to buy us two tickets back but we would probably have to leave tomorrow." He said as he took a bite of his pizza.

"I can vouch for my ticket, babe." She said sitting back on the bed after her two slices of cheese pizza. Lucas was on his fourth.

"No, I can do it. I just have to see how much it is." He said.

"You do know that things are not going to be pretty when we get back." Peyton said after a moment of silence in the room.

"Yeah, but I guess they will just have to deal because I wanna be with you Peyton." Lucas said throwing the pizza box in the trash.

"Yeah…" Peyton said and she bit her lip looking away from him.

Lucas walked over to her and he lay down on the bed next to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and he pulled her close.

"Blondie…" He said softly and he watched as she looked over at him. "Listen to me. Things will be tough, especially with Brooke. There will be some tension there but is it worth losing this…us?" He asked gently stroking her waist.

"I guess not. I wanna be with you Lucas. I do…" She sighed and she ran her hand through his spiky blonde hair.

Lucas pulled his arm off of her and he sat up. He shook his head and rolled off the bed.

"But—you wanna save your friendship with her." Lucas finished her thought for her.

[O][T][H] – _Meanwhile…_

"Haley…have you seen Lucas?" Brooke asked her friend when her friend opened the door.

"Yeah, I did. I saw him earlier today when I 'chased' him out." Haley said laughing softly.

"Well, I heard that he went out of town. I mean, do you know where he went?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah…he umm," Haley stumbled on her words not sure whether to tell Brooke the truth or not.

"You can tell me Hales." Brooke said softly and Haley pressed her lips together in a tight line.

"He went to Chicago."

"Let me guess…to chase after my blonde best friend who went to Chicago to chase after a rock star?" Brooke asked leaning against the doorway with a solemn look on her face.

"You can't help what the heart wants Brooke." Haley sighed softly.

"I know, but still…she knew how much he meant to me, he knew that she is my best friend and our friendship is like teetering on the edge of death." Brooke said.

"It's going to be okay, Brooke. It's going to be hard seeing them together, but if they're happy you need to let them do their thing. If they aren't meant to be in the end they will figure it out." Haley said patting Brooke's shoulder.

"I know." Brooke sighed softly leaning her head against Haley's hand.

[O][T][H]

"Lucas…" Peyton tried to say but he shook his head.

"I came to Chicago for you Peyton, we fucking kissed!" Lucas said about ready to pull his blonde hair out of his head. Peyton hopped off the bed and she grabbed his hands. "You said you wanted me to kiss you like that all the time."

"I do want you to kiss me like that all the time! I just don't know what to do. You are my best friend's ex-boyfriend who she is still in love with."

"I'm not in love with her though Peyton! Get that through your mind. I'm in love with you!" He said and he pushed her away from him.

Lucas sat down on the edge of the bed and he put his head in his hands.

"Peyton…I can't keep playing games with you. It's either now or never."

Peyton sat down next to him and she leaned her head on his shoulder. She let out a long sigh. She wanted to answer him, she needed to answer him. She was going to answer him.

"Then let it be now. We'll be together, now."

"You mean it?"

"Yes, I mean it. I wanna be with you. I wanna be with you now."

"Good." He said and he turned to her. He turned his head to the side and he leaned in.

Their lips met in the middle and they got lost in the kiss. But before it went too far, Lucas made sure that they didn't do anything that they were going to regret. Peyton crawled up onto the bed and tucked her head into his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"Good night, Luke." She whispered.

"Good night, Blondie." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

[O][T][H]

Brooke sat down on the wooden bench near the river. Her back was to the River Court. Tears stained her porcelain cheeks, and her hands folded together in her hands. Her breathing had become uneven from her being so upset.

"Brooke?" She turned around at the voice.

"Jake?" Brooke asked and she pushed her tears away with her fist.

"Have you seen Peyton?" He asked.

"She's in Chicago, she went to see Pete Wentz but Lucas ended up going after her, so she's either at the concert or cuddling up with Lucas somewhere." Brooke said a little bitterly.

"Well, that makes my return to Tree Hill almost pointless." Jake said and he joined her on the bench.

"What else did you come back for?" Brooke asked.

"I want Jenny to have a good life, and Tree Hill is the right place to raise her." Jake said shrugging his shoulders.

"She must be getting big."

"Yeah, she's with my parents right now." Jake said nodding his head and he pulled out his wallet. He flipped through the few pictures he had in the plastic covered cases in his wallet and found a recent picture of Jenny. He showed it to Brooke.

"Aw, Jake she's beautiful. Man, she'll break so many hearts." Brooke said as she took the picture and she held it in her hands. She handed it back to him after she was done snooping at the other pictures too.

"You wanna see her? My parents are making homemade grilled pizza, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you joined us."

"Jake, I don't wanna intrude."

"You wouldn't be intruding. I'd love for you to come have dinner with us." Jake said standing up off the bench. "Besides you look like you could use some company."

"Okay, I'll go." Brooke said after a pause and she placed her hand in his and then let it go as soon as they were walking to his car. Jake walked ahead of her and he opened the passenger door for her and she got in the passenger side of the door.

Brooke wished that someone would save her. Lucas had saved Peyton countless times and she realized he was never going to save her. She finally got her wish when Jake came to her today.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's chapter 7! It was an okay chapter but I knew my Leyton fans would probably enjoy this one. Besides I've been watching Brooke/Jake videos and I agree that they are ADORABLE!**


	8. First Days

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I would like to thank my reviewers, who reviewed the last chapter. Those reviewers are: AnnOTH21, kylielink, leytonbreylan (who gave another FANTASTIC review, ily), OTHGirl24, Strizzy, julianafan, MelindaCasey, Ash1984, grayfan. Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out! I lost inspiration for a few weeks.**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_She's going to see Pete in Chicago. She doesn't want anything to do with me in the romantic sense."_

"_I'm here to pick up a plane ticket for Peyton Sawyer."_

"_Have a nice flight." The woman said._

"_You need to go after her." _

"_She's right, bro."_

"_No! Wait! Stop the plane!"_

"_Going after a girl?"_

"_Can I get you anything to drink or could you use someone to talk to?"_

"_I thought I was going to have to run all over the city of Chicago for you."_

"_This is my last attempt. I've chased you since that day in the library…and you keep giving me reasons…no actually you keep giving me ONE reason why you can't be with me."_

"_So, you flew all the way to Chicago for me?"_

"_You do know that things are not going to be pretty when we get back."_

"_I guess not. I wanna be with you Lucas. I do…"_

"_But—you wanna save your friendship with her."_

"_He went to Chicago."_

"_I'm not in love with her though Peyton! Get that through your mind. I'm in love with you!"_

"_Brooke?" _

"_Jake?"_

"_You wanna see her? My parents are making homemade grilled pizza, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you joined us." _

CHAPTER EIGHT: First Days

"Mom, Dad, Jenny?"

"We're in the kitchen, son." An older female voice responded.

"Come on, this way." Jake said to Brooke and walked with her to the small kitchen. The kitchen was the size of Brooke's bathroom at her house. If she didn't already appreciate her life, she did now. "I brought a guest, if you don't mind."

"Oh no, of course not, we love to meet Jake's friends." The older woman replied. She turned around and Brooke gave her a tight-lipped smile.

"I'm Brooke. I went to school with Jake." Brooke said and she stuck out her hand to shake Jake's mother's hand but instead of a handshake, his mother ended up giving her a hug.

"It's nice to meet you Brooke. I'm Dorothy and that's my husband John." She said and she went back to touching up the raw pizza.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Jenny said and Brooke turned her head to see the young girl sitting on the counter. Brooke's heart nearly swelled at the sight. The last time she had seen Jenny was when she was a tiny baby in her car seat.

"Dinner is almost ready baby." Jake said and Jenny was looking at Brooke.

"Who's that?" Jenny asked and Brooke joined Jake at his side.

"This is my good friend Brooke. She's really nice." Jake said and stroked Jenny's blonde hair.

"She's very pretty!" Jenny said with a wide spread grin on her face and everyone chuckled at the little girl.

[O][T][H]

Lucas walked into the back door of his room and his mother was lying on his bed sleeping soundly. He shut the door quietly, but she still heard him enter the room. She sat up.

"Lucas Eugene Scott! You better have a damn good reason you didn't come home." His mother scolded.

"I left you 2 messages, ma." He explained.

"I don't know how to work that damn machine on that phone thing!" Karen said. "You should know that."

"I'm sorry." Lucas apologized and dropped his bag near his bed and sat down next to his mother.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Karen asked. Lucas nodded his head.

"Yeah, I found her." Lucas replied.

"Good. Now we can get to the punishments. A) You're grounded. You can go to school but straight after you can home and start on chores. I'll have a list for you every day of your grounding." Karen replied and she hopped off the bed.

"Hey ma," Lucas called out. She turned around in the doorway. "Thank you." Lucas replied. That definitely wasn't the reaction she was expecting for her grounding him but Lucas had always been full of a respect for her. So she wasn't going to question it. She just smiled and retreated to her room.

Lucas lied back in his bed and felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He saw Peyton's name flashing across the screen.

"Didn't I just see you?" Lucas answered.

"Just wanted to see how much trouble you got in with your mom." Peyton said trying to hold back the laughter.

"I'm grounded. She didn't say how long, but don't expect me to be able to take you out on a date anytime this week." Lucas said and Peyton chuckled softly.

"Well darn," Peyton replied.

"It's your fault that I chased after you." Lucas retorted. "So in all, this is your fault."

There was a knock on Lucas' side door and he sat up. He walked over to the door and he saw Brooke on the other side of it. She gave him a short smile before he let her walk in.

"I got to go; I'll talk to you later." Lucas said and he hung up the phone.

"You didn't have to do that, Luke. I could have waited till you were finished." Brooke said stuffing her hands in her back pockets of her jeans.

"Don't worry about it. What's up, Brooke?" He asked.

"How was your weekend? I heard you went to Chicago?" Brooke asked sitting down on his bed, and he sat down next to her.

"My weekend wasn't bad, though I'm now suffering the consequences. My mom grounded me." Lucas said kinking his eyebrow and Brooke laughed.

"I remember when she grounded me. I was totally confused at first, because I didn't know what it meant, and then I tried to mop the floor with a sponge…" Brooke laughed at herself.

"Those were good times." Lucas said while nodding his head.

"How's Peyton?" Brooke asked getting to the big awkward metaphorical elephant in the room.

"Brooke…" Lucas started.

"Don't. Just don't, even start apologizing. Don't give me a big long speech, and don't look at me with those bright baby blue eyes. I just want to know why you did it. Why you told me you didn't want to be with her, and then you chased her all the way to Chicago?"

"I didn't want to lie to myself anymore. It's not like I never had feelings for you. It's not like I was never in love with you. You were my first love. I'll never forget that. I don't know how to explain it…I just didn't want to continue to lead you on about my feelings and then it just hurt a lot worse in the end."

"You were my first love too. Besides…it's all hurts just the same." She whispered and she clasped her hands together. She looked up at the clock on his wall and then stood up off the bed. "I got to go. One so Karen doesn't come in here yelling at me about late night visits and two because I have someone waiting for me. I'll see you around Luke." Brooke said softly. She walked to the door. "Try to keep the PDA to a minimum when I'm around, alright?"

"You got it. See you around Brooke." He said and she left his room without another word. This was going to be harder than he thought. Lucas lay back, and he quickly fell asleep.

[O][T][H]

Brooke walked down the steps and she got back into the car that parked in front of the back part of Lucas' house.

"Thank you for taking me here." She said.

"It's not a problem. Just a little detour…so home now right?" He asked.

"Sure…unless you want to still hang?" Brooke smirked.

"Nah, I think I'm good. I've had my Brooke Davis dose for the night." He said and she grinned. They drove off towards Brooke's house. When they arrived, he parked the car on the outside, and turned the engine off.

"So, this is good night." He started off.

"Yep, this is it." Brooke nodded her head. Since she had given Nathan and Haley their apartment back she had gotten one in the same complex, not too far away hence her parents sold their house last summer before California.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school." He said.

"You're going? That's awesome. I'm glad. As student council president I can personally give you a tour."

"Oh, I would love that." He said.

"I bet you would." Brooke grinned and then she leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. She stepped out of the car and looked at him once more. "See you tomorrow, Jake."

"See you." He said and he drove off once she got into her apartment. Brooke sat down on the couch with a contented sigh. She had a good night for once.

[O][T][H]

Brooke, Haley, Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton were standing in a circle outside in the quad in front of Tree Hill High School. There were police cars line up in their certain areas, and there were officers patrolling the campus grounds. Lucas had kept to his promise, and he hadn't really displayed any affection in front of Brooke with Peyton.

"Is that Jake?" Haley asked raising her eyebrow peeking over Brooke's shoulder.

"He came?" Brooke asked turning around and sure enough he was there. "Jake!" Brooke said and she skipped over towards him looping her arm through his like she had done nearly a year ago when he had come back with Jenny for 'permanent'. Jake smiled brighter than he ever did greeting Brooke.

"Hey you told you I'd be here." Jake said reminding her of what he said last night.

"Since when has Jake been back? Since when have the two been so close?" Peyton asked out loud to her boyfriend and her two friends, Nathan and Haley.

"I don't know and I don't know." Haley said a bit confused about the situation.

"Hey guys, Jake is back!" Brooke said excitedly coming back to the group.

"Hey everyone, how's it going?" Jake said shaking Nathan's and Lucas' hand, and he reached over to give a hug to Haley and a small, quick hug and nod to Peyton.

"Oh! It's so good to see you!" Haley said with a laugh pushing back her light blonde hair. "How's Jenny?"

"She's big." Jake replied. Brooke looked at her cell phone for the time and then tugged on his arm.

"Let's go. I'll give you the official tour, and show you to your classes." Brooke said.

"I get the official Brooke Davis tour…awesome!" Jake said with a laugh. They both walked off together, leaving the four staring after them.

"This is going to be an interesting year." Nathan mumbled wrapping his arm around Haley. Lucas placed his hand on the small of Peyton's back. Peyton didn't seem to speak. She seemed a bit angry or jealous about Brooke and Jake. Her body was tense.

"Let's get to class." Lucas said and he led Peyton to her first class of the morning.

[O][T][H]

"Mr. Jagelski, I see you have returned. Plan on joining the team again?" Coach Whitey Durham said when Jake walked through the doors of his office.

"I plan on it, sir, I just have to make sure my grades are in order, and I have to find a job." Jake replied adjusting his bag across his shoulder.

"Well try-outs are Friday. Hope to see you there." Coach said.

[O][T][H]

Lucas walked through the doors of his mom's café with Peyton, and they both at the same time spotted Brooke and Jake at the counter talking to his mother Karen. When Karen turned to him to give him 'the look', he nodded his head.

"I'm going, ma…jeez." Lucas said and he headed into the back where he was to work in the kitchen doing chores instead of going home and working.

"I'm going to go see if Lucas needs…help." Brooke said scurrying away from Jake and Peyton and she skipped to the back. "So, you're like hardcore grounded?" Brooke asked seeing Lucas mopping up a mess of something that spilled on the kitchen floor.

"At least I'm not using a sponge." Lucas teased sticking his tongue out at her.

"HEY!" Brooke said crossing her arms and then taking the soapy sponge from the sink full of water and throwing it at him. He caught it, making a giant soaped up mess on his shirt. Brooke smirked.

"Lucas Scott!" Karen's voice boomed through the corner of the kitchen. Lucas turned to his mother like a deer caught in headlights.

"Sorry, ma, I didn't mean to make noise!" Lucas said back and he turned back to a laughing Brooke. "Real funny, that was just…hilarious." Lucas said narrowing his eyes towards her.

"It actually was…" Brooke smirked. He flicked soap on her and she dropped her jaw in awe.

[O][T][H]

Jake and Peyton were sitting at the counter alone in silence.

"So…you and Lucas, huh?" Jake asked.

"You and Brooke, huh?" Peyton retorted back to him.

"Don't be nasty, Peyton." Jake said, shaking his head and taking a sip of his cola.

"Brooke…I mean, you come back and the first day that you show yourselves to any of us, Brooke has already known that you were back? Brooke was the first one to know, seriously?" Peyton threw a fit, but quiet enough to where Lucas couldn't hear.

"I came back for you Peyton. I told her that. But you ran off to Chicago after a band, and then I heard that Lucas went after you. Given your history, the pieces fit and Brooke and I were both right. For your information, we didn't do anything. We're just friends. Brooke was broken up about her relationship with Lucas and that fact he chased after her, so don't you throw a fit about Brooke being the first to know." Jake said defending Brooke.

"Jake…" Peyton said.

"I got to go. My parents and Jenny are waiting for me." Jake said and he got up off the stool. He walked over to Brooke in the kitchen, and she decided to walk out with him.

"I'll be seeing you, I guess?"

"Yeah, you will, definitely." Jake said nodding his head, before wrapping his arms around her to hug her gently.

When they pulled away, he leaned down and gave her a small peck on the lips, partly because he was still fuming from his conversation with Peyton, and the other part because he really wanted to do that.

"I'll see you." Jake said, turning around and walking away with a smile on his face. Brooke stood there for a minute, and she turned back towards the café, and walked in.

"I saw that!" Karen said trying to accuse Brooke, but couldn't help it with a smile on her face.

"I so didn't expect that." Brooke said with a laugh.

[O][T][H]

"Man, I love first days…" Jake mumbled to himself walking down towards his house.

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER! (: Have a good weekend! REVIEW PLEASE!


	9. Love Withstands

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! It wasn't as many as usual but that's probably because it was a VERY late update and I understand about that. Thanks to lukenpeyton4ever. Though it seems like Lucas and Brooke are flirty, they're not. They're just trying to reach that friendship that they once had. Of course, Peyton would be jealous of Brooke being with Jake only because of the history that lies between Jake and Peyton in season 1 and season 2. You know? It made sense to me, haha. Thanks to the other reviewers AnnOTH21, OTHGirl24, kylielink, and MelindaCasey! This chapter takes part a few weeks later. Enjoy this. **

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Who's that?" Jenny asked and Brooke joined Jake at his side._

"_This is my good friend Brooke. She's really nice." Jake said and stroked Jenny's blonde hair._

"_She's very pretty!" Jenny said with a wide spread grin on her face and everyone chuckled at the little girl. _

"_Is that Jake?" Haley asked raising her eyebrow peeking over Brooke's shoulder._

"_He came?" Brooke asked turning around and sure enough he was there. "Jake!"_

"_So, you're like hardcore grounded?" Brooke asked seeing Lucas mopping up a mess of something that spilled on the kitchen floor._

"_At least I'm not using a sponge." Lucas teased sticking his tongue out at her. _

"_So…you and Lucas, huh?" Jake asked._

"_You and Brooke, huh?" Peyton retorted back to him._

"_Don't be nasty, Peyton." Jake said, shaking his head and taking a sip of his cola._

"_Man, I love first days…" Jake mumbled._

CHAPTER NINE: Love Withstands

"I have a heart condition." Lucas said softly standing in his coach's office. Whitey stood up abruptly.

"What are you talking about son?" Whitey asked.

"I have HCM and…I haven't been taking my medication because it slows me down and I would be playing horribly if I slow down." Lucas said guilty dripping from his tone. He looked over to his brother who had gathered in Whitey's office to hear the news too.

"Lucas…" Whitey said.

"Before the lecture…I know…I've been selfish. I just love the game so much; I just didn't want to leave it behind." Lucas said tears gathering in the bottom of his eyes. Whitey and Nathan, too, were getting tears in their eyes. "This game changed my life, just like it did yours, and you changed my life, and it's going to be hard to let it go."

Nathan walked over to his brother and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Game can only change you if you have a life to change right?"

[O][T][H]

While the players for the Tree Hill Ravens and the team they were facing were in the midst of a game, Lucas just stood there in the shadows of the halls watching. He needed to let it go. Nathan is handed the ball and he jumps for the dunk. He slams the ball right in their basket and he is cheered on by his team mates and his cheerleaders. Jake is playing in Lucas' old place. Lucas walked out into the gym and he walked around the court, and then out through the front doors of the gym. He loosens the tie around his neck as he steps down the stairs slowly.

The cheerleaders watch after Lucas, especially Peyton. She bites her lip back and she wonders to herself. Lucas walks further and further away from the gym, slowly letting the game go.

Lucas saw his mother in the parking lot, pulling up to see him play.

"Lucas, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Karen said putting her hands on her son's arms. He nods slowly, the tears falling from his eyes.

"I'm real sick mama." He whispered looking down at his feet.

"Lucas, what is it?"

"I have…HCM." Lucas finally managed to choke out between sobs. His mother wrapped her arms around her tall son and he hugged her back. They both stood in the parking lot sobbing together. "I'm so sorry, Ma." He whispered.

"Shh, it's okay. We'll figure it out." Karen whispered rubbing his back and then taking him to the car.

[O][T][H]

"Jagelski passes to Scott, and Scott shoots the ball for the win!" Mouth shouted and the buzzer went off just as the ball swished through the hoops. "And the Ravens win!" Mouth shouts.

The cheerleaders run towards the players and the Ravens' fans ran towards the middle of the court cheering on the team. Nathan wraps his arms around Haley and he kisses her forehead. Peyton congratulates Jake on helping the Ravens win.

"You did great." Peyton said.

"Thanks. It feels good to be back where I'm supposed to be." Jake said and he lifted his head to see Brooke who was packing up her pom-poms. "I'll catch up with you later." Jake said and he jogged over to Brooke.

"Leaving without even saying anything to me?" Jake asked. His voice had made Brooke jump a little.

"Oh no, I was going to come congratulate you but I saw Peyton talking to you and I didn't want to interrupt that whole thing." Brooke said waving it off like it wasn't really bothering her. "Congratulations Jake, you make Nathan make my job so much easier." Brooke laughed.

"Well, I guess it's a win-win situation, then?" Jake asked with a smile. The crowd started to filter out, and the players started to head back to the locker room. "Wait for me? We can get some pizza? Hang out?"

"Are you asking me out on a date, Jake Jagelski?" Brooke asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Jake said realizing he kind of was asking her out on a date.

"Then I guess I'm going." Brooke smiled and Jake smiled also.

"Sounds like a plan." Jake said and he headed back to the locker room. Brooke sighed contently and she finished packing up.

[O][T][H]

Peyton ended up going home, even after trying to reach Lucas but receiving no answer. Peyton threw her cheer bag to the side and she lay down on her bed still in her cheer uniform, not bothering to get changed.

"Have you heard from him?"

Peyton sat up to see her father entering her bedroom.

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously I'm talking about Lucas. He wasn't playing tonight, you're acting all gloomy. What's going on?"

"That's just it. I don't know. He won't answer his phone, so I guess he'll talk to me when he wants to talk to me." Peyton said softly. Then her phone started beeping signaling a text message. She flipped open her phone and she read the text message.

**Meet me River court 11:30**

**-Lucas**

"Is that him?"

"Yeah, he wants me to meet him at the River court at 11:30."

"Don't stay out all night." Larry said and exited the room. Peyton lay back awaiting the moments till she was able to finally know what the hell was going on with Lucas.

[O][T][H]

"Maybe we can change the routine up a little, for the next game's half time?"

"Hey Brooke," Jake said approaching Brooke and one of the other cheerleaders.

"We'll talk Monday." Brooke said and the other cheerleader nodded and left. "Hey you, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's head out." Jake said and he walked out of the old gym with Brooke.

[O][T][H]

Brooke sat down at the outside pizza parlor, and she shivered a little bit as her skin touched the chilly metal of the seat. "This looks delicious."

The round pizza was in a box on the center of the table. "It sure does." Jake replied.

Brooke reached for a piece and she set it on her plate. Jake did the same and they sat there eating their respective pizza slices together.

"It didn't only look delicious, it also taste amazing. Though, I have to say nothing can out beat Karen's pizza." Brooke said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah, I agree. Karen's pizza is amazing." Jake nodded his head. Then he laughed momentarily leaving Brooke puzzled as to what he was laughing at.

"What are you laughing at crazy boy?" Brooke laughed also. His laugh was kind of contagious. She loved to hear him laugh.

"You have a little bit of sauce on your mouth." He said and he reached forward. "I got it." He said and he took his thumb and he grazed it over her bottom lip wiping the sauce off her lips.

"Is it gone?" Brooke asked a little shakily noticing how close they have become.

"I think there is a little more." He said and he reached forward giving her lips a small kiss. After the short moment ended, he retracted himself. "I think I got it all."

"Good. How'd it taste?" Brooke asked laughing softly.

"The sauce was amazing but that kiss was pretty good too." Jake said softly.

"Good." Brooke said and she reached forward wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a real Brooke Davis kiss.

[O][T][H]

**11:29**

The clock stared Peyton in the face. When it finally changed, she jumped up from the bed and she grabbed her cell phone. She had on a pair of grey sweat pants, and a tank top. She finally mustered up the strength to change out of her cheerleading uniform. It was a pain to stay in for too long anyways. Peyton walked down stairs and she exited the house quietly stuffing the house keys in her pocket. She made her way to the River court and she saw Lucas staring up at the basketball goal. She watched him for a minute.

"Hey." Peyton said making her presence finally known. He turned around and he gave her a small smile.

"Hi." Lucas mumbled back and Peyton walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she laid her head on his shoulder. She finally got a response out when he wrapped his arms back around her hugging her back. She immediately felt like she was sinking into his arms.

"Are you okay? You didn't play tonight." Peyton said pulling away but looking up at her blonde brood of a boyfriend.

"No, I'm not okay." Lucas said softly.

"Luke…" Peyton started but he shook his head silencing her.

"I have HCM. The genetic heart condition that Dan has, I have it." Lucas said.

"What are you talking about? I thought you and Keith were in for the clear?" Peyton said trying to make sense of what her boyfriend just said to her.

"I lied." Lucas simply replied. "I didn't want my mom to worry, and that's why I moved in with Dan. To keep the Jules thing a secret, and he was paying for my medication but I haven't been on my medication since the summer because he stopped paying for it. Though I told Whitey that it was because it slowed me down, which wasn't a big lie, the medication really does slow me down when I play."

"What did your mom say?" Peyton asked wrapping her arms around her mid-section.

"She was supportive. When we got home, we talked about everything, and she went to bed after putting me to bed."

"So she doesn't know that you're out?" Peyton asked.

"Nope, she'll worry too much." Lucas said.

"That's what mothers are supposed to do. I think, I wouldn't know." Peyton said shrugging her shoulders. "But that's what my dad does, so I suppose your mom would worry too."

"Yeah, I know. Come here." He said and he pulled her against him again. The warmth of his arms instantly comforted her when he pulled her into his arms.

"Don't ever leave me." Peyton whispered laying her head on his chest.

"I'm not going anywhere." Lucas said and he kissed her forehead softly.

"I love you Lucas Scott." Peyton said softly.

"I love you too Peyton Sawyer."

Peyton looked up at him and he leaned down and he kissed her softly. "We should probably get you back to your house before your mom wakes up."

"Yeah, we should." Lucas said and he and Peyton started walking back to his house.

[O][T][H]

Nathan joins Haley on the couch and Haley stretches her legs out across his lap.

"How's the ice-cream?"

"It's delicious." Haley giggled softly taking another bite out of the ice cream that she was enjoying.

"So tonight was a good game." Nathan said nodding his head absentmindedly rubbing her legs.

"Yeah, you scored like 46 points or something right? That's like really good, isn't it?" Haley asked softly.

"Well it's not bad." Nathan said with a laugh.

"Well, I think you were amazing!" Haley said taking another bite of her ice cream. "Where was Lucas tonight? He didn't play."

"He has a heart condition, Hales." Nathan said after a pause.

"Um, don't be mad at me, but I sort of already knew about the HCM. He made me promise not to tell anybody. Sorry, but isn't he taking his medication? He's still allowed to play with the medication."

"He's not taking the pills."

"Great! So he lied to me." Haley said frustrated.

"I think he lied to everyone, Haley. I think he even lied to himself." Nathan said giving her a simple shrug.

"Is he going to be okay?" Haley asked.

"We'll make sure he's ok, right?" Nathan asked.

"Right," Haley nodded her head.

[O][T][H]

Jake walked Brooke to her doorstep.

"So, this is where it ends." Brooke said nodding her head and she turned to him.

"Yeah, this is where it ends. Thanks for giving me one of the best dates of my life, Brooke." Jake said nodding his head.

"Thank you for giving me one of the best dates of my life, also." Brooke nodded her head.

"How about we got to Karen's before school, get some breakfast, and make it a second date?" Jake asked.

"I'd like that." Brooke said and she reached over and she gave him a light kiss. "See you tomorrow boyfriend."

"See you." Jake said and he watched her disappear into the house and he turned around heading down the steps and back to the car.

Brooke closed the door, locked it up, and put her back against the door sighing happily. He was kind of amazing, and she was had the feelings like she was a little school girl with her first crush.

[O][T][H]

Peyton and Lucas stopped on the porch of Lucas' back door to his room. "I'll see you tomorrow at school?" Peyton asked.

"Stay." Lucas said holding on to her hand.

"I'll be there in a minute?" Peyton asked.

Lucas entered his bedroom door and he shut it behind him quietly. Peyton pulled out her cell phone and she dialed her dad's number. "We're not going to do anything. It's Karen's house, are you a crazy man?" Peyton said into the phone after asking her father if she could stay with Lucas for the night.

"He's just going through a lot, and he needs me here." Peyton said softly. "Thank you Daddy."

Peyton snuck into the room quietly and she saw Lucas lying in the bed. She walked around to the other side and pulled up the comforter. She then turned around and she wrapped an arm around her boyfriend and he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you Blondie." Lucas whispered.

"I love you too." Peyton said and for a brief moment, he gave her a small gentle good-night kiss.

Soon they fell asleep together.

**GREAT CHAPTER, right? REVIEW PLEASEEEEEE! **


	10. Flash Forward

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been over a month since I've posted a new chapter and I apologize for that! I'm doing a time jump for this story only because I didn't want to follow the story of One Tree Hill exactly. Either you will hate me or love me for this! Hope you love this chapter! **

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_I have HCM and…I haven't been taking my medication because it slows me down and I would be playing horribly if I slow down." Lucas said guilty dripping from his tone._

_Nathan walked over to his brother and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Game can only change you if you have a life to change right?"_

"_I'm real sick mama." He whispered looking down at his feet._

"_Lucas, what is it?" _

"_I have…HCM."_

"_Are you asking me out on a date, Jake Jagelski?" Brooke asked with a laugh._

"_Yeah, I guess I am." Jake said realizing he kind of was asking her out on a date._

"_You have a little bit of sauce on your mouth." He said and he reached forward. "I got it." He said and he took his thumb and he grazed it over her bottom lip wiping the sauce off her lips. _

"_Is it gone?" Brooke asked a little shakily noticing how close they have become. _

"_I think there is a little more." He said and he reached forward giving her lips a small kiss. After the short moment ended, he retracted himself. "I think I got it all."_

"_Luke…" Peyton started but he shook his head silencing her._

"_I have HCM. The genetic heart condition that Dan has, I have it." Lucas said._

"_Don't ever leave me." Peyton whispered laying her head on his chest._

"_I'm not going anywhere." Lucas said and he kissed her forehead softly. _

"_I love you Lucas Scott." Peyton said softly._

"_I love you too Peyton Sawyer." _

"_I think he lied to everyone, Haley. I think he even lied to himself." Nathan said giving her a simple shrug._

"_Is he going to be okay?" Haley asked._

"_We'll make sure he's ok, right?" Nathan asked. _

"_Right," Haley nodded her head._

CHAPTER TEN: Flash Forward

"Can I have your autograph, Mr. Scott?" A young girl asked while he was standing at the counter of his mother's café.

22 year old Lucas Scott turned towards the teen girl and saw her holding his first novel, the first one that he had ever written.

"Sure, that's not a problem." Lucas said calmly. Most people that had the fame that he did would be bothered by pesky fans asking for their autographs every other second. Lucas opened the cover of the book 'The Unkindness of Ravens'. "What's your name?"

"Heather Jamison." The teenage girl replied.

"To Heather Jamison, follow your heart and be happy. Love, Lucas Scott." Lucas said as he was writing and he gave the pen and the book back.

"Thank you!" Heather said and she left the café.

"Does that ever get old?" An older woman's voice said appearing from the back of the café and behind the counter.

"Nope, at least my work is still appreciated." Lucas said with a smile. He reached over the counter and gave his mom the best hug he could muster up.

"My baby boy is so grown. So, how long are you in town for?" Karen asked used to his visits every few months.

"I'm actually thinking about staying in Tree Hill for good. I heard that they needed a new coach at Tree Hill for the varsity boys' basketball team."

"They do. After Whitey left, the team just whirled into a black hole; maybe you'll get the job and give us something to celebrate again on Friday nights." Karen laughed.

"I'll head over there after I'm done here." Lucas said nodding his head.

"How's Peyton?" Karen asked after a few seconds of silence. She prepared her son a coffee.

"She's good. It was her idea to move back here." Lucas said with a smile.

"Any wedding bells in the future?" Karen asked.

"Ma, hold your horses." Lucas said and he looked at the clock. "I got to start heading over there before school gets out. See you later ma." Lucas said grabbing his coffee and walking out of the café.

[O][T][H]

"Did my paperwork go through?" Peyton Sawyer, independent music label owner, asked her former boss at one of the shallow record labels in Los Angeles.

"Yeah, I suppose so." He said and he went back to sniffing the last line of coke that was on his notebook.

"I see, and then I'm out of here." Peyton said and she turned around. She walked out of his office.

"Get back here Sawyer!" The boss shouted. Peyton rolled her eyes knowing exactly what he was going to ask her to do.

"Yes, John?" Peyton asked.

"Drop two buttons, then you can leave." The cynical middle aged man said. Peyton just wanted to get out of there, so she did what she was told. She practically could see the excitement growing inside of the man.

Peyton didn't say anything then, and she disappeared out of his office. She grabbed her box off her desk and she headed to the elevator. She pushed the button and the elevator took her to the lobby. She walked out to her car and set the box in the passenger seat. She leaned back in the driver's side and she checked her cell phone. _Time to head home…_she thought to her, and she drove off towards LAX.

[O][T][H]

"Daddy, wake up, wake up!" 4 year old Jamie Scott shouted as he bounced on his daddy's bed.

"No, it's not time to wake up." Nathan grumbled putting the pillow on top of his bed. Jamie continued to jump and then Nathan pulled him down and started to tickle him.

"NO! Don't do that daddy! No!" Jamie shouted, giggling uncontrollably. Jamie managed to squirm away from him. "Mommy told me to wake you up, so we can go see Uncle Lucas!"

"Mommy's here? Uncle Lucas is here?" Nathan asked raising his head with a confused expression on his face.

Jamie ran out of the room shouting, "Mommy! Daddy is up!"

Nathan grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a tee and he headed downstairs. He saw Brooke Davis standing in the kitchen of his house.

"Brooke, what's up?" He asked yawning softly reaching for the cup of coffee that was sitting waiting for him.

"I heard that Lucas was back in town, and figured we'd go see him."

"Jamie told me that…but how did you get in?" Nathan asked looking towards his front door then back at the brunette that was standing in front of him.

"Jamie opened the door for me and then he told me where the spare key is."

"Remind me to hide that when you're not around." He said towards Jamie.

"Oh Daddy, I still know where you hide it." Jamie laughed and Brooke shook her head at the father son interaction.

"We also need to talk." Brooke said.

"Jamie, why don't you go watches some TV?" Nathan asked and Brooke nodded her head.

"I know that's just signal for _Jamie go away so Mommy and I can talk_." Jamie said in a sarcastic but cute voice and left the room leaving a shocked Brooke and Nathan.

"That kid is a pure genius sometimes." Brooke laughed and then turned towards Nathan.

"So what do you need to talk to me about?" Nathan asked.

"Haley's coming to town on her last show of her current tour." Brooke said pulling out the piece of paper that she printed from the internet.

"What?" Nathan asked and he looked down at the piece of paper restraining him from spitting out his coffee.

"So either we have to face the music, or we can run away like she did."

"The grown up thing would be to face the music…" Nathan said and he looked at Jamie enjoying whatever was on the television.

"I don't blame her for running away." Brooke said.

Nathan sighed deeply and he ran his hand over his forehead, rubbing his temples.

[O][T][H]

Lucas sat down in the chair behind the wooden desk inside of the coach's office. "Congratulations Lucas, you start tomorrow." Mr. Turner said and Lucas stood up to shake his former principal's hand.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Turner." Lucas said and he watched as the older African-American man left his sight.

Lucas turned around and he looked at the office that was officially his. Lucas turned out the lights and locked up his new office. While he was walking out to his car, he saw someone sitting on the hood of his car.

"Excuse me, why are you sitting on my car?" Lucas asked and then when he arrived up closer he saw that it was Peyton. "Peyton, you're here." Lucas said a large smile growing on his face.

He watched as she slid off the car and he put the keys in his pocket. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and he picked her up slightly. He put her down and he cradled her face in his hands and he kissed her gently on the lips. When their kiss ended, he pressed his forehead to hers looking into her beautiful green eyes.

"Man, it's been a long 3 weeks without you." He said and she agreed with a nod. "I love you."

"I love you too." Peyton giggled softly and she kissed him again.

[O][T][H]

"Get a room!" Brooke shouted walking onto the River Court with Nathan and Jamie, spotting Lucas and Peyton sharing a kiss on the bench. Peyton shrieked jumping off the bench and running towards her best friend.

"B. Davis!"

"P. Sawyer!"

Brooke and Peyton hugged each other. Brooke then broke apart from her best friend. "Oh hey Luke, sorry about that," She giggled and Peyton laughed with her.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said running over to Lucas and attacking him. Lucas stumbled a little bit and then picked his nephew up.

"Is that James?" Peyton asked shocked at how much the little baby boy had grown since Peyton had last seen her.

"My pride and joy," Brooke responded watching Lucas and Jamie bond. "What about me?" Nathan cut in.

"Oh yeah…" Brooke said with a laugh. "It's nice to see you Nate." Peyton said giving the taller but younger of the two Scott brothers a hug.

Nathan then went to join Jamie and Lucas in what they were doing at the other end of the court. "You never told me how that happened…" Peyton said walking with Brooke over to the bench her and her beau had formerly been sitting on.

"It was after Nathan and Haley's second wedding. I had just finished fighting with Jake which is another long painful story, and I was just putting back those drinks, and Nathan was there to comfort me. I guess I acted on my drunken desires and we…" Brooke said making a gesture with her hands signaling that they had slept together without having to say incase Jamie was using his big listening ears to be nosy. "It wasn't supposed to happen, it just kind of did, and nine months later I had Jamie. It was strange how he came out with blonde hair and blue eyes though, so Haley had no suspicion, till the guilt started to eat us both alive and I realized I couldn't raise him on my own. We both told her, she ran off and found fame. She never looked back. Not that I blame her for running away."

"Damn…" Peyton said and she shook her head. "Do you have feelings for Nate?"

Brooke bit back her lip. "Lately I've started to feel something for him. But then I found out that Haley is coming back to town for her last show of her tour."

"So that's scaring you off from ever really feeling anything for him…" Peyton said and she nodded her head.

"Very much so…" Brooke said looking over at Nathan and then her son. "Maybe Jamie is all we will have in common."

**Love it? Hate it? EITHER WAY PLEASE REVIEW!**


	11. Rockstar Show

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I didn't get many reviews for the last chapter; only about three. I don't mind, at least I got reviews, you know? I guess either most people aren't around due to the holidays (by the way Happy Thanksgiving!) or it was just because they gave up after the month that I did not update. Sorry about that, again! Things will though clear up as the story progresses, okay? Any who, here is a new chapter for you! Surprised that it is so soon, are you? (: I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Can I have your autograph, Mr. Scott?" A young girl asked while he was standing at the counter of his mother's café. _

"_To Heather Jamison, follow your heart and be happy. Love, Lucas Scott." Lucas said as he was writing and he gave the pen and the book back. _

"_My baby boy is so grown. So, how long are you in town for?" Karen asked used to his visits every few months._

"_I'm actually thinking about staying in Tree Hill for good. I heard that they needed a new coach at Tree Hill for the varsity boys' basketball team." _

"_How's Peyton?" Karen asked after a few seconds of silence. She prepared her son a coffee._

"_She's good. It was her idea to move back here." Lucas said with a smile. _

"_Any wedding bells in the future?" Karen asked. _

"_Get back here Sawyer!" The boss shouted. Peyton rolled her eyes knowing exactly what he was going to ask her to do. _

"_Yes, John?" Peyton asked._

"_Daddy, wake up, wake up!" 4 year old Jamie Scott shouted as he bounced on his daddy's bed. _

"_Mommy's here? Uncle Lucas is here?" Nathan asked raising his head with a confused expression on his face. _

_Jamie ran out of the room shouting, "Mommy! Daddy is up!" _

"_Brooke, what's up?" He asked yawning softly reaching for the cup of coffee that was sitting waiting for him._

"_So what do you need to talk to me about?" Nathan asked._

"_Haley's coming to town on her last show of her current tour." Brooke said pulling out the piece of paper that she printed from the internet. _

"_Excuse me, why are you sitting on my car?" Lucas asked and then when he arrived up closer he saw that it was Peyton. "Peyton, you're here." Lucas said a large smile growing on his face._

"_My pride and joy," Brooke responded watching Lucas and Jamie bond. "What about me?" Nathan cut in. _

"_Oh yeah…" Brooke said with a laugh. "It's nice to see you Nate." Peyton said giving the taller but younger of the two Scott brothers a hug._

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Rockstar Show

"Did you hear the rock-star Haley James Scott, is in town? She is playing her final show here!" One of the teenage gushed about in the halls of Tree Hill High School opening up her locker and revealing pictures of Haley in her locker.

Lucas raised his eyebrow and he kept walking. He had to pass through the boy's locker room to get to his office.

"Did you hear that rockstar chick is coming into town? She's so fine." One of the gentlemen on the basketball team said taking off his towel from around his neck and throwing it into the dirty laundry bin.

Lucas opened his office door and he slipped inside. He walked around to the desk and he saw his cell phone lighting up that was on the desk. He picked it up in his hands and he saw the picture then start flash on the screen.

"Well, good morning beautiful." Lucas said into the phone sitting down in his chair.

"Good morning coach. How's your first day going so far?" Peyton said on the other line, pushing a hand through her tight curly blonde locks.

"It's moving slowly, but there's all this talk that Haley is back in town. Am I hearing right?"

"Yeah, Brooke already called me this morning in a panic." Peyton groaned and fell back onto the bed that she shared with her boyfriend.

"Why is she so freaked out about Haley coming back into town?"

"Well, she had a child with one of her best friend's husband, a week or so after the renewal of their vows and the last words that Haley said to her were something like 'I never want to see you or him again, you dirty slut, and you stupid manwhore and she wished them both to go to hell and that their child would end up the ugliest child.'" Peyton said getting out of bed and walking over to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"Wow, well I guess you can't really blame her…"

"Yeah, but Luke come on…Haley really didn't have to say that about their child. Brooke felt horrible as it was, and then Haley says that to her and then Jake hurt her. I wouldn't be surprised if Brooke didn't show up to Tric tonight." Peyton said.

"Yeah, all right, well I better let you go get ready for that, and besides I'm sure that I have some official coach business here that I need to take care of."

"All right, I love you." Peyton said.

"I love you too Blondie." Lucas said with a smile on his face and then he hung up the phone. He sat back in his seat and he turned around. He opened the blue blinds that covered the window and he looked out at the window that he caught Whitey staring out many times when Lucas would come to talk to him.

[O][T][H]

Brooke pushed grocery cart down the cereal aisle looking through the coupon book for the grocery store for the week.

"Mommy, can we get some Fruity Pebbles?" Jamie asked holding up a red box with Fred Flintstone on the front of it.

"Sure baby. If that's what you would like for breakfast in the mornings." Brooke said. "Oh look, a coupon!" Brooke said and Jamie grinned at his mom.

"Mommy, can I ask you a question?" Jamie asked looking up at his mom.

"Sure baby. What's your question?" Brooke asked picking up a box of her favorite cereal and putting it in the cart.

"Who is Haley James Scott, and why does she have my last name?" Jamie asked curiously.

"Well, she was your daddy's wife before she left and became a rockstar." Brooke said.

"You mean she was daddy's wife before you were his wife?" Jamie asked still having the realization that his parents were in some kind of marriage to of had him.

"Sure, something like that." Brooke said trying her best not to reveal the complete worst of this world to her four year old son, just yet.

Brooke continued on shopping for the groceries.

[O][T][H]

Peyton walked into Tric, Karen's night club, and she approached the bar. Karen's eyes immediately looked up when she saw her.

"Karen, what's up with you being here in the middle of the day? What about the café?" Peyton asked and Karen immediately got out from behind the bar and wrapped her arms around the tall blonde.

"It's good to see that you are home, I am glad that you suggested that you and Lucas moved back. What a wonderful idea!" Karen said and Peyton laughed. "The café isn't close though. I have Deb running it over there. It is going to close at seven though just in time for her to come help me run the bar here."

"I hope she's getting paid for all this over time." Peyton said with a laugh.

"Oh yes, she has been a great help lately." Karen said and went back to wiping down the bar.

"Where's Haley?" Peyton said asking the question she has been dreading to ask but wondering about.

"She's in the back, probably doing a sound check or picking out her outfits for in between the first part of the show and the second, and then a third outfit to roam the floor after she does her set of songs. I don't know. I don't understand this whole rockstar business." Karen said waving it off.

"Thank you Karen." Peyton said and she walked into the back of Tric and could see many people hard at work trying to get the lighting perfect on stage and she saw the door with a star on it. She saw that the star had been configured with the rockstar's name on it.

Peyton ran her fingers over the lettering and then she raised a hand, balled it into a fist, and then knocked on the door a few good times.

"Come in!" She heard from the other side of the door.

Peyton opened the door and she popped her curly blonde head in. "Peyton?" She heard Haley's voice say.

"Hey Haley," Peyton said giving a small wave and then completely walking in and shutting the door behind her. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. How've you been doing? You look absolutely amazing."

"Yeah, that's what four years can do to you…" Peyton said drifting off with her sentence.

"How's Nathan?" Haley asked after a silent pause between the two former friends.

"He's fine, I suppose. He's Nathan." Peyton said shrugging her shoulders.

"I see. Do you know if he's coming tonight?" Haley asked and Peyton shook her head. "Is Brooke coming?"

"I don't know." Peyton answered once again just this time with actual words.

"I see…" Haley said turning to the mirror and started brushing through her light chestnut colored hair. She sighed softly.

"Look Peyton, I know that you are probably mad at me for leaving…again…" Haley started but she was cut off by Peyton.

"Yeah, I kind of am Haley, and you want to know why?" Peyton said and she crossed her thin arms over each other.

"You said some pretty terrible things to Nathan and to Brooke before you left." Haley's jaw pretty much dropped after that.

"Excuse me? Nathan slept with Brooke after our vow renewal and I'm the horrible one because I said some things to them out of anger? You have some real nerve."

"Brooke had just got done fighting with Jake, and she was upset and she was crying and she was just a terrible mess. Nathan was being a friend and he was there for her when no one else was around at the time."

"So being there for her means sleeping with her and conceiving a child with her?" Haley asked in total disbelief at Peyton right now.

"Okay, that part wasn't supposed to happen, but she had been drinking and well…I don't know. But they didn't deserve to be called those horrible names, and have those things said about their child. Every child is a gift, no matter what situation that it is conceived in."

"Peyton, you are being really unbelievable right now!"

"Whatever Haley, let me just tell you that Brooke has been content with her life and with her son for the last four years, so if she does show up tonight, try not to ruin it. She is scared to death to even think about you being in town because you hate her. Brooke was your friend and you shut her out after she made a mistake. It wasn't like Brooke and Nathan just jumped into bed together and then became hitched because they had a child." Peyton said.

"In fact, Brooke ended up shutting Nathan out for half of the pregnancy and then she finally got the courage to let him in. Brooke hated herself for the longest time, but I know that she doesn't hate herself now because the first time she laid her eyes on her little boy she didn't have one worry about you. Now that you're back, she's afraid that she'll feel that hatred and that pain again. I, for one, don't want to see her like that again."

Haley stood there in total shock, not knowing what to say exactly and then Peyton turned around and left.

"Great, so my husband sleep with my friend gets her pregnant, and I'm made out to be the bad guy." Haley said and she collapsed into her chair.

"What was all that shouting about?" Karen said just as Peyton came out of Haley's dressing room.

"She's just not the same Haley we used to know. I know that Brooke and Nathan made a horrible mistake but that mistake turned into something really great. They got Jamie in the end and he's everything that anyone could wish for. Haley shouldn't have ever said all those things about Brooke, Nathan, or Jamie." Peyton said.

"It looks like you need to rant a little. Good thing it's just about Lucas' lunch time." Karen said.

"Oh thanks." Peyton said letting out a chuckle.

[O][T][H]

Nathan and Jamie were sitting on the couch playing NBA Basketball on the television. When Jamie scored, Nathan looked over at Brooke who was sitting at the kitchen counter staring into space.

"I'll be right back." Nathan said and he got up from the couch. He walked over to Brooke and he let his hand rest on to her back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Brooke said and he rubbed her back slowly.

"Brooke, I need to talk to you about making stuff a little more permanent for Jamie's sake. I mean, he keeps telling me how he wants to stay here but he wants to stay with you too. He doesn't like going back and forth like we're some kind of divorced couple. I think you should move in." Nathan said.

Brooke looked up at him and she tried to process what he was saying.

"You want me to move in with you?"

"Yeah, I mean, I think it would be better for Jamie. He might really like it if we were both here."

"I guess you're right. Let me think about it?" Brooke asked and Nathan nodded his head. "Go play." Brooke said and shooed him off not before letting him kiss her forehead.

[O][T][H]

Lucas buttoned up his long sleeve shirt and rolled up his sleeves. He had a nice pair of jeans on, a nice pair of shoes, a shirt decent enough to wear to his mother's club.

"Well, doesn't someone look all fancy?" Lucas heard Peyton voice. He looked up.

His girlfriend, Peyton, was dressed in a black skirt with some band tee with a black leather jacket. Her hair was done up.

"Wow, I feel very dressed down." Lucas said. "You look really…" Lucas walked up to his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her.

"Really…" Peyton whispered softly, sliding her arms around his neck.

"Amazing," He whispered and he gave her a soft kiss.

"It's a good thing we don't have to be there for another thirty minutes." Peyton whispered and pushed him towards his bed.

[O][T][H]

Nathan entered the club with Brooke about ten minutes then the time that they were supposed to meet everyone. It was due to the fact that Brooke continued to have melt downs about the night, and about saying Haley. Nathan practically had to drag Brooke inside.

"Brooke!" Peyton said approaching her best friend. "You made it!"

"Yeah, she only had about 15 meltdowns before we even left the house." Nathan said. "Where's Lucas?"

"In that booth over there…" Peyton said and Nathan quickly disappeared from the girls and found his brother in the booth. "What's up with you? Why did you have all those meltdowns?"

"Haley is here! Haley, the one that called me all those horrible the names, the one who made me hate myself for like the first six months of my pregnancy, the one who hates me because of a mistake that I made. She hates me and you made me come to the place that she is playing at! And her former husband asked me to move into his house."

"Okay, just stay away from the stage. We'll talk about the other part later. I have to go announce now." Peyton said. "I love you B. Davis. Everything will be okay."

"I love you too P. Sawyer, thank you so much." Brooke said and watched as her best friend disappeared into the crowd and climbed on to stage.

"So the next person to come onto the stage is Tree Hill legend and talented singer Haley James Scott."

[O][T][H]

"Brooke, are you okay? You look kind of sick." Lucas said taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to go, I really can't be here." Brooke said and grabbed her purse. She left the table as quickly as possible.

Haley approached the table next and then they all understood the reason that Brooke had to leave so quickly.

"I'll be right back." Nathan said and he slid out of the booth. Haley watched after him in astonishment.

"Where are you going?" Haley asked but then she turned to Peyton and Lucas and they just both sat there silent.

"Welcome back, Haley." Lucas said and he took a sip of his coffee. Peyton practically gave him a death glare.

**PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks for reading.**


	12. Unexpected Return

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you to all my reviewers from the last chapter; Mela18, lukenpeyton4ever, OTHGirl24, kylielink, AnnOTH21, luke-n-peyton. I can tell that some of them are new reviewers and I am so glad for that! I'm glad though that my constant reviewers are still with me. So here's another chapter for you! I've had so many sparks with this story lately. I love it! I hope you do!**

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Did you hear the rock-star Haley James Scott, is in town? She is playing her final show here!"_

"_Why is she so freaked out about Haley coming back into town?" _

"_Well, she had a child with one of her best friend's husband, a week or so after the renewal of their vows and the last words that Haley said to her were something like 'I never want to see you or him again, you dirty slut, and you stupid manwhore and she wished them both to go to hell and that their child would end up the ugliest child.'" _

"_Mommy, can I ask you a question?" Jamie asked looking up at his mom._

"_Sure baby. What's your question?" Brooke asked picking up a box of her favorite cereal and putting it in the cart. _

"_Who is Haley James Scott, and why does she have my last name?" Jamie asked curiously. _

"_Look Peyton, I know that you are probably mad at me for leaving…again…" Haley started._

"_You said some pretty terrible things to Nathan and to Brooke before you left."_

"_She's just not the same Haley we used to know. I know that Brooke and Nathan made a horrible mistake but that mistake turned into something really great. They got Jamie in the end and he's everything that anyone could wish for. Haley shouldn't have ever said all those things about Brooke, Nathan, or Jamie." Peyton said._

"_Brooke, I need to talk to you about making stuff a little more permanent for Jamie's sake." _

"_Brooke!" Peyton said approaching her best friend. "You made it!" _

"_Yeah, she only had about 15 meltdowns before we even left the house." Nathan said. _

"_Brooke, are you okay? You look kind of sick." Lucas said taking a sip of his drink. _

"_Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to go, I really can't be here." Brooke said and grabbed her purse. She left the table as quickly as possible. _

"_I'll be right back." Nathan said and he slid out of the booth. Haley watched after him in astonishment. _

"_Welcome back, Haley." Lucas said and he took a sip of his coffee. Peyton practically gave him a death glare. _

CHAPTER TWELVE: Unexpected Return

"He went after Brooke." Haley said, and let out a deep sigh before sitting in the booth across from Lucas.

"I'm going to go see if Karen needs any help." Peyton said and gave Lucas a quick kiss before she exited the booth not being able to stand the sight of Haley. Though she had no true reason to be mad at her, it just made her furious that she up and left for the second time and didn't leave a pretty picture painted in her wake.

"What did you expect him to do, Hales? Things aren't the same as they were four years ago. Things are much different." Lucas said.

"How are things different, Luke? It's not like I fell off the edge of the earth and died."

"It seems like it. You disappear after saying all that shit to Brooke and Nathan and about their son, and then don't come around for four years and the only way that we hear from you is through the media. That's not how a friend acts."

"Lucas, why are you mad at me? They are the ones that slept together!" Haley said waving her hands in the air trying to make her point.

"Yeah, but they apologized sincerely about it."

"Oh, so because they apologized so sincerely about it is supposed to make everything okay, and Nathan and I should have just stayed married?" Haley asked.

"It should have been enough. Nathan loved you Haley and because of one mistake, you jetted off on a rock tour with some band." Lucas said taking a sip of his drink.

"It wasn't just one mistake! It happened twice!"

"That was before he even knew about you. That was while him and Peyton were going through the whole thing that they had. That doesn't count!"

"I don't understand…why everyone is making me to be the bad guy!" Haley said confused.

"I don't know what to tell you, Hales. All I said is try to at least make amends. Nathan went after Brooke tonight because of you. Brooke is scared to death of what you might say to her next or do to her next, and so she ran away and Nathan went after like he always does. Every time that you're mentioned, she replays the moments in her head and she hates herself all over again. Though it could have happened under better circumstances…I wouldn't have a nephew it weren't for them. I am thankful for my nephew. That's all I have to say." Lucas said and Haley sat back in her seat crossing her arms.

Lucas slid out of the booth and sighed. "Sorry Hales."

[O][T][H]

"Brooke! Wait up! Come on…don't run away, again." Nathan said walking quickly after the brunette but Brooke didn't slow down at all.

Nathan reached out for her arm and he turned her around. Brooke had tears streaming down her face. He pulled her against his chest.

"I can't do this." Brooke said shaking her head.

"Yes you can." Nathan said pulling her head away from his chest and looking into her eyes. "You are Brooke Davis. You are strong, you are tough, and no one can ever break you."

"She can! She broke me Nate! When she said all those horrible things to me…she broke me, and I have never been able to let go of that. Do you not remember how hard it was? Do you remember that I wouldn't even talk to you for the first few months that I was pregnant with Jamie because of what she said? I felt so horrible, like such a slut."

"You are not a slut. I don't care what Haley says or what Haley said. We made a mistake. It's in the past and if she can't let go of that, then she has some issues to deal with. You gave me the greatest gift, and if I had to I would go back and do it again. Honestly." Nathan said.

Brooke wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll face her, just not tonight. I'm going to relieve the baby sitter of Jamie. I'll see you."

"I'll come with you."

"Nate, don't do that. Go have fun." Brooke said taking the keys out of her purse.

"There's nothing left for me in there." Nathan said and he followed her to the car that they took there to the club together.

[O][T][H]

"Mommy, Daddy, you're home!" 4 year old Jamie shouted and he jumped off the couch and ran towards the two dark brunettes that just entered the house.

"Excuse me little man, why aren't you in bed yet?" Brooke asked putting her hands on her hips. Jamie looked up at both of them.

"I'm not tired." Jamie said innocently. Heather, the baby sitter, walked over to them. Brooke handed her the amount of money she promised plus a small tip.

"I tried, but he is one hard headed little boy." Heather said messing up Jamie's hair by rubbing his head. "Thanks for this. I needed it." Heather said gesturing to the money in her hand.

"Not a problem. Thank you for watching him." Brooke said and Heather left the house.

"Mommy, are you going to stay tonight? Can we _all_ watch a movie?" Jamie asked looking up at both of his parents.

"I think a movie is the best thing right now." Brooke said picking up her son and he smiled.

"So that means you're staying the night too, so I get to see you in the morning?" Jamie asked with the famous Scott grin.

"We'll see how late it is. Go upstairs, put on your pajamas and come back down to pick a movie." Brooke said letting him down and he jetted upstairs quickly.

"Are you okay with me staying?" Brooke asked looking over at Nate.

"I think that I would be cool with it hence this morning I asked you to move in with us." Nathan said and she nodded her head.

"Right, I forgot." Brooke said and she set her purse down on the counter.

"Do you have an answer yet?" Nate asked.

"Not yet. I'm still trying to weigh everything out." Brooke said and she walked into the living room and she sat down on the couch. Nathan sat down on the couch also. Jamie came running down the stairs, slid across the tile in his socks, and grabbed a movie from the movie shelf.

"Which movie did you pick?" Brooke asked.

"Toy Story 3, I love this movie! Buzz, he is the coolest toy ever!" Jamie said hopping in between his parents and hugging both of them.

"You couldn't find a different one? Something you haven't watched?" Brooke asked.

"Well, Daddy has the new season of Glee but he won't let me watch the first one because it's for grownups." Jamie said rolling his eyes then he told everyone to be quiet, but under her breath she was still chuckling from the information revealed that Nathan owned Glee none the less watched it which earned her a scorned look from Nathan.

[O][T][H]

As the club was closing up, Haley was just fiddling around on the piano while the bartenders cleaned the place. Peyton and Lucas both approached her and she stopped playing but didn't look up at them.

"Look Haley, I want to apologize…" Lucas started off. He nudged Peyton.

"I want to apologize also…" Peyton said and then she let Lucas do the rest of the talking.

"It's just…Brooke and Nathan have been through a lot. Especially with their son, and I don't want to see that fall apart. I don't want to see Brooke push Nathan out of their son's life again. I guess we were all just framing you to be the bad guy because of how hurt Brooke was and we didn't open the picture up and realize that you were also hurt in this situation. So, I'm sorry." Lucas said.

"That means a lot." Haley said softly.

"Are you still my best friend?"

"Of course, Luke, I will always be your best friend. I'm sorry that I ran away from my life here, I just couldn't stand looking at the two of them but I will work on making amends with Brooke, so I can gain my friendship with Peyton back too because I miss my girls."

Peyton just gently smiled. "She's kind of tired."

"I bet, tonight wore me out, and I'm just singing on stage." Haley laughed.

"Are you sticking around town?" Lucas asked.

"Actually I have to go back to New York to sign off that the tour has ended and everything and I'll probably come back down here to stay for a bit. I know that the label won't approve of me staying here for too long anyways."

"We'll be seeing you."

[O][T][H]

Lucas unlocked the front door to his house, and he let Peyton in. Most of her stuff was still in boxes in his living room. He looked at the tacky set up the boxes and she saw her looking at them.

"I know we said we were going to unpack but…I think we're both way too tired to do anything." Lucas said and Peyton nodded.

"Come on, Ms. Sawyer." He said and he swung his arms under her legs and around her shoulders and she squealed as he lifted her into her arms.

"What a gentleman Mr. Scott." Peyton said and she giggled softly. He laid her down on the bed and he crawled on top of the bed beside her.

"I'm really glad that we made it." Lucas said after a few moments of silence.

"Made what?" Peyton asked looking over at her handsome boyfriend.

"Made it through all the muck, most couples don't stay together through college especially across the country together. I'm glad that we're one of those odd couples."

"We always have been an odd couple." Peyton laughed.

"Yeah, but that's what makes us well us." Lucas said.

"True, I love you Lucas Scott." Peyton said.

"I love you too Peyton Sawyer, forever and ever and a day."

[O][T][H]

By the second half of the movie Jamie was passed out completely on the couch, with his head on his mom's lap and his feet in his dad's lap. Brooke was drifting in and out of consciousness. Nathan moved Jamie's feet slightly and Brooke sat up.

"I'm going to go put him to bed." Nathan said getting up off the couch and picking Jamie up.

"I love you Momma." Jamie mumbled barely coherent.

"I love you too baby." Brooke said softly and watched as Nathan took him upstairs.

Brooke grabbed the remote and she shut off the television. A few minutes later Nathan came back downstairs.

"You were drifting in and out there. You ready to head to bed?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Brooke said standing up and walking with Nathan upstairs after he turned off the all the lights out on the bottom floor. Brooke started walking towards one of the guest rooms, and Nathan stopped her.

"Where are you going?" He asked with a smile.

"Oh, I was going to go use one of the guest rooms."

"The beds aren't made up, and it's way too late to do all that. You can share my room with me." He said.

"Oh you would love that." Brooke said punching his arm not to hard hence she was half asleep. "You are such a guy."

Brooke climbed into the bed and she watched as Nathan changed out of his club clothes and then put on his pajamas. When he crawled into bed with her, she snuggled deep under the covers. He turned out the lights.

"Good night Brooke." Nathan whispered.

"Night Nate," She said softly, and she was slowly finding her way to the land of sleep but she wasn't completely out before she felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer. It was definitely warmer with him next to her.

[O][T][H]

Haley pushed the button on her hotel elevator and she waited for it to come down so she could go up. Haley heard the ding and then watched as the doors opened. She waited for the people to get off before getting on. The doors nearly closed before they opened again because someone stopped them with their hand.

"Whoa there," Haley said keeping the doors opened and watched as a young man came onto the elevator with a girl about the age of 7 or 8.

"Haley?"

Haley turned around and when she finally got a good look at his face, she realized who it was.

"Jake? What are you doing here?" She said and she laughed giving him a hug.

"I'm back in town, figured that it was time to come back." Jake said. "Oh this is Jenny. You remember Jenny."

"Yeah, but she was just a baby last time I saw her, now she's all grown up." Haley said and Jenny laughed.

"Daddy still thinks of me as his baby."

"You will always be his baby to him, but to me you are a wonderful young lady."

"See dad, why can't you be more like that?" Jenny said and Jake and Haley just laughed.

"Have you seen Brooke?" Jake asked as they both stepped out on the same floor.

"I haven't seen her. She won't even come near me." Haley said folding her hands together.

"I would be afraid of you too." Jake said nodding his head. She hit his shoulder.

"Shut up, man. That's not nice. I'm going to try to make amends with her and see how it goes. Did you come back for her?"

"Not her necessarily but she's a big part of it."

"Well good luck with that. Nathan is kind of like her guardian."

"Yeah, what's the deal with that?" Jake asked.

"I know you know what happened between us, but I mean I left and he grew close to her which I guess is expected since they have a child together. It's just going to be hard to come back and try to get back to where everything was before that happened and before I left."

"I understand. Well, I have to get this munchkin to bed, but maybe you and I can meet for some coffee in the morning? I have to go down to the school and enroll Jenny in school…"

"That's sounds good. I have to leave around eleven for New York, so I'm up for some coffee." Haley said. "Good night Jake! It was great seeing you."

Haley disappeared into her hotel room and changed out of her rock star clothes. The following days were going to be interesting to say the least.

**PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!**


	13. Status Recovered

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for all the reviews! Your support is what keeps me inspired! I have a lot of people wanting Brooke and Nathan to get together which is exciting because those are one of the unconventional couples that I totally ship! Thanks for the reviews lukenpeyton4ever, Suze18, Angel N Darkness, OTHGirl24, MelindaCasey. Now with the return of Jake and Haley…things are just getting started. ;) **

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_He went after Brooke." Haley said._

"_What did you expect him to do, Hales? Things aren't the same as they were four years ago. Things are much different." Lucas said._

"_I don't understand…why everyone is making me to be the bad guy!" Haley said confused._

_Lucas slid out of the booth and sighed. "Sorry Hales." _

"_Brooke! Wait up! Come on…don't run away, again." Nathan said._

"_I can't do this." Brooke said shaking her head. _

"_Yes you can." Nathan said pulling her head away from his chest and looking into her eyes. "You are Brooke Davis. You are strong, you are tough, and no one can ever break you." _

"_Are you okay with me staying?" Brooke asked looking over at Nate._

"_I think that I would be cool with it hence this morning I asked you to move in with us." Nathan said and she nodded her head._

"_Look Haley, I want to apologize…" Lucas started off. He nudged Peyton._

"_I want to apologize also…" Peyton said and then she let Lucas do the rest of the talking._

"_Come on, Ms. Sawyer." He said and he swung his arms under her legs and around her shoulders and she squealed as he lifted her into her arms. _

"_What a gentleman Mr. Scott." Peyton said and she giggled softly. He laid her down on the bed and he crawled on top of the bed beside her._

"_I love you Momma." Jamie mumbled barely coherent. _

"_I love you too baby." Brooke said softly and watched as Nathan took him upstairs. _

"_The beds aren't made up, and it's way too late to do all that. You can share my room with me." He said._

"_Oh you would love that." Brooke said punching his arm not to hard hence she was half asleep. "You are such a guy." _

"_Haley?" _

"_Jake? What are you doing here?" _

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Status Recovered

"Mommy, you have to see this!" Jamie said hopping onto his mom and dad who were still in bed. Brooke groaned.

"What are you talking about Jamie?" Brooke said groggily and she looked over the clock. It was only 7 o clock in the morning about the time that Jamie always woke up.

"You have to come look outside!" Jamie said tugging on her arm.

"What's wrong with him?" Nathan said mumbling into the pillow.

"I don't know, he said that we have to go see something outside." Brooke said and they both sat up slowly.

"Come on sleepy heads!" Jamie said jumping off the bed and running out of their room.

[O][T][H]

Lucas pushed the door open to the school, and he walked through it.

"Lucas!" Principal Turner called after him. Lucas turned around adjusting the whistle around his neck.

"Our English teacher had to quit this morning due to emergency situations. Her husband, I guess, was getting stationed immediately in a different country. Anyways, I know that you are a big name in the literature business, and I was wondering if you would like to take over the class till we can find a full time replacement."

"That's not a problem, Mr. Turner."

"Alright, sounds good. Your free period is probably third and then you have lunch right after fifth. Thank you so much Lucas." He said gratefully and he took off down the hall.

Lucas found himself at the English classroom and he opened the door, walked through it, and then shut it behind himself. When he stood at the board, he heard a knock on the door.

"Mr. Scott? What are you doing in the English room?" Haley, his best friend, came through the door asking.

"The English teacher quit this morning, so they asked me to take over while they found a full time replacement that was going to be able to take on the class." Lucas said. "What are you doing here?"

"I was actually just here for my interview. I just got back from New York, and I just rented out a house over on Newberry Drive, and now I'm hoping to be able to teach a music class here. They really need some culture up in this place."

"Yeah, it would be nice to see some of the students take some interest in something besides sex, alcohol, or even their education for that matter." Lucas laughed and Haley let out a mellow chuckle.

"Did you hear that Jake was back in town?" Haley asked.

"Jake? Are you talking about the Jake who had the baby in high school and who was dating Brooke?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, he's going to enroll Jenny down at the elementary school."

"Isn't Jenny his daughter? She is school age already?"

"Yeah, I ran into her on the elevator too. She's about eight years old now. She's a spitting image of her daddy."

"Well, Brooke will be excited." Lucas said very unsure of that statement.

[O][T][H]

"Mommy, put on your coat, its cold!" Jamie said handing her, her jacket. Nathan slipped his on, and then Jamie opened the door.

Their whole front yard was covered in snow. "It's snowing!" Jamie said excitedly and a cold burst of air hit the three of them causing Brooke to shiver, and Nathan to wrap his arm around her.

"We haven't had snow in a long time." Brooke said and Jamie ran outside and he jumped into a pile of snow. Brooke and Nathan laughed.

They stepped out onto the porch and watched as their son played around in the snow.

"Did you sleep well?" Nathan asked.

"Are you kidding me? I slept like a peaceful baby." Brooke laughed. Nathan was intoxicated by her laugh.

"Well that's good. I'm glad." Nathan said and he slid his arm around her, pulling her to his side.

"Nate, what are you doing?" Brooke laughed softly with a smile on her face, trying to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her go.

"This," He said and he turned his body fully towards her, cradling her face in his larger hands and pressing his lips to hers softly.

Brooke was definitely not expecting him to kiss her, but that didn't mean that she pulled away from him. Instead she placed her hands on his hips and she leaned up to kiss him back. When the kiss ended, she laid her head on his chest, circled her arms around his abdomen and held on to him finally getting what she wanted. She was now, happy.

"Ewwwww," They heard Jamie yell from the snow. Brooke and Nathan both just laughed.

"It's time for school!" Brooke said.

[O][T][H]

"Jamie! Let's play tag!" One of Jamie's friends yelled from across the playground. Jamie shook his head climbing on to the play equipment.

"No! It's too cold to run around!" Jamie yelled back and he sat down on the play equipment that was deserted except for a girl sitting beside him. "Are you new?" Jamie asked.

The girl nodded her head. "Yes, my name is Jenny." The girl said.

"It's nice to meet you Jenny. I'm Jamie. What grade are you in?" Jamie asked.

"I'm in the third grade. My teacher is Mrs. Ryan." Jenny said.

"Cool, I'm in the first grade. I'm supposed to be in kindergarten, but my mom put me in the first grade because I'm smart." Jamie said.

"It's time to go in third grade!" Mrs. Ryan shouted across the playground clapping her hands and the third grade ran to line up in front of their teacher.

"I have to go, bye Jamie!" Jenny said and she climbed off the play equipment and ran towards her class.

[O][T][H]

The school bus pulled up in front of the Scott household and Brooke met Jamie out front. Brooke wrapped her arms around her son and she hugged him softly.

"Hi baby. How was school?" Brooke asked kissing her son's forehead.

"It was great! I met a new friend today! She is in the third grade though."

"Is she cute?" Brooke laughed.

"Mommy that is so gross!" Jamie said.

"If you want to get out of that uniform, you better go change and then you are going to spend the night with Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton."

Jamie instantly ran inside and he quickly changed. While grabbing his school bag, he also grabbed his bag of toys.

"Mommy, I'm ready to go to Uncle Lucas'!" Jamie ran down the stairs yelling.

"Come on baby." Brooke said.

[O][T][H]

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said when Lucas opened the door to his house.

"Jimmy Jam!" Lucas said and he hugged his nephew.

"Thank you for taking him. He has been dying to see you." Brooke said.

"It's not a problem. I love him." Lucas said.

"Where's Peyton?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, she's right here." Lucas said taking Jamie in another room and Peyton appeared in the doorway.

"Can I just say that I forgot how much of a good kisser Nathan was?" Brooke said and Peyton's draw almost dropped to the floor.

"You kissed him?" Peyton asked.

"No, he kissed me, this morning when Jamie was playing in the snow. It was the best kiss I have ever experienced!"

"Well, wear protection this time." Peyton said.

"We're definitely not going to do that tonight…" Brooke said with a laugh.

"Good for you." Peyton said.

[O][T][H]

Nathan threw the ball to the hoop and it swooshed through the net. Nathan chased the ball and then bounced it around to behind the three pointer line and shot it in the hoop.

"He dribbles it up court, finds himself behind the three pointer line, and its Scott for the win!" Brooke said.

Nathan turned his head and he laughed seeing Brooke there.

"Are you a crazy man or something? It's freezing out here and you are in shorts and a t-shirt." Brooke said wrapping her arms around herself.

"When you're running around like I am…you're not very cold after a while." Nathan said dropping the ball and walking over to her.

He wrapped his arms around her and he tried to kiss her but she pushed him away from her.

"You are all sweaty, I am not kissing you."

"Are you being serious?" Nathan asked letting go of her and then picking the basketball back up and dribbling it by shooting again.

"Yes, being sweaty is gross!" Brooke said.

"You use to be a cheerleader; you used to sweat all the time!" Nathan said.

"That was different, sort of." Brooke laughed.

"You are so crazy."

"Are you taking me out tonight?"

"I don't know, am I?" Nathan asked.

"You bet your ass you are. So go shower or something." Brooke said.

"Fine, I'll shower if you kiss me." Nathan said raising his eyebrows.

Brooke used her finger to lure him over to her and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and she pressed her lips to his softly. When she kissed him, she seemed not to care about how sweaty he was. The kiss was soon interrupted by the clearing of someone's throat. Brooke pulled away from Nathan and turned around. Their eyes fell on Haley who was standing there looking a little awkward.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I just…needed to talk to Nathan and I was told this is where I could find him."

"That's okay. I have to go anyways." Brooke said and she kissed Nathan quickly on the cheek and then left the presence of the former ex-lovers.

Before Brooke could leave Haley called out, "Brooke!" It caused her to turn around. "Do you think we could talk in about an hour at Tric?"

"Yeah, that would be good." Brooke said and she walked away from them and to her car.

"Hey stranger, how are you?" Haley asked folding her hands in front of her nervously. Nathan bounced the basketball.

"I'm doing well and you?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Haley said. "Sorry, I interrupted you and Brooke."

"Its fine, she had to get going anyways." Nathan said and he shot the ball into the hoop.

"I don't want there to be this awkwardness between us Nathan." Haley said softly.

"I'm not the one making it awkward Haley. I pleaded with you to forgive me that day, and you couldn't because I made one mistake."

"It happened two times Nathan. How many times do you want me to forgive you for all the mistakes you made?"

"That's not fair. The first time it happened…I was with Peyton and I was really bad person then and we were fighting. I shouldn't even have to explain that to you!"

"What about the second time?"

"Brooke was upset, and she was drinking. We all know that alcohol doesn't fix anything. She was really wasted and she was really broken. I couldn't stand seeing her like that…"

"So you slept with her?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Then why did it?" Haley asked tears gathering in the bottom of her eyes.

"I don't know why it happened. I was just being a good friend and then one thing led to another. That is the only way I know how to say it. I have no excuses, and I owned up to my mistakes after it happened. You didn't have to find out about it through a sex tape this time." Nathan said and he shook his head. "Honestly Haley, I have no regrets."

"No regrets? You don't wish that it would have never happened?"

"No, I don't. Maybe I would have after it happened. Now I don't. Brooke gave me a son, a son who I love with everything I have, and a son who taught me how to own up to my responsibilities and be a father. Now, I have Brooke too, so no I don't regret what happened, but I do regret that I broke your heart and that I screwed up our marriage. That's all I can say." Nathan said shrugging his shoulders.

"That's all I wanted to hear." She said softly. She walked up to him and she hugged him softly. "I'll always love you Nate, but I know you're happy and I'm happy for you. You're definitely a good man and a good father. I better be able to see him one day."

Nathan laughed softly returning the hug and breaking away. "You will. I honestly think you need to fix things with Brooke first."

"I will, which is why I am heading over to Tric now. I'll be seeing you." Haley said and walked off the court. Haley got in her car and she drove off, a lone tear falling out of her eye. She knew that she needed to let go now.

[O][T][H]

Haley walked into the club, and she saw Brooke sitting at one of the tables in the club. The club was empty except for Deb working behind the bar stocking the shelves and taking inventory. While Deb worked on getting the club ready all day for the night time, Karen worked the café, then they'd work the club together. She was great how things turned out here back home.

"Brooke." Haley called and Brooke looked up. Haley sat across from Brooke and she smiled softly. "Before you say anything…I just want to say that I'm sorry for everything I said the last time that I saw you."

"It's okay Haley. I understood why you were so upset, and I understood why you said those things even if a part of me didn't." Brooke said shrugging her shoulders. "I should be the one apologizing though because I started this whole thing. I'm sorry for what happened between Nathan and me, it was never planned or supposed to happen."

"If you don't mind me asking…why did it happen?" Haley asked not sure that she wanted to hear the actual details but it was the first step to a recovering relationship. They had to get everything out in the open.

**PLEASE REVIEW! I hope this chapter suits you for now. I've been on this every 5 days a new chapter roll, so hopefully I can keep it going. Though everyone seemed to be making up in this chapter…trust me, it's just getting started! (: **


	14. Spring Memory

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the review guys! I might have only got 4 reviews but I love how people are just raving about the Brooke and Nathan cuteness. I agree, very cute unconventional and perfect besides Nathan and Haley couple. (: Haha. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Thanks again to lukenpeyton4ever, Angel N Darkness, OTHGirl24, & MelindaCasey for the reviews! I love every single review and reviewer! **

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

"_Mommy, you have to see this!" Jamie said hopping onto his mom and dad who were still in bed._

"_Lucas!" Principal Turner called after him. Lucas turned around adjusting the whistle around his neck._

"_Our English teacher had to quit this morning due to emergency situations…"_

"_That's not a problem, Mr. Turner."_

"_Mr. Scott? What are you doing in the English room?" Haley, his best friend, came through the door asking._

"_Did you hear that Jake was back in town?" Haley asked._

"_It's snowing!" Jamie said excitedly._

"_Nate, what are you doing?" Brooke laughed softly with a smile on her face, trying to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her go._

"_This," He said and he turned his body fully towards her, cradling her face in his larger hands and pressing his lips to hers softly._

"_Ewwwww," They heard Jamie yell from the snow._

"_Are you new?" Jamie asked._

"_Yes, my name is Jenny." The girl said._

"_It's nice to meet you Jenny. I'm Jamie."_

"_Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said when Lucas opened the door to his house._

"_Jimmy Jam!" Lucas said and he hugged his nephew. _

"_Can I just say that I forgot how much of a good kisser Nathan was?" Brooke said and Peyton's draw almost dropped to the floor._

"_You kissed him?" Peyton asked._

"_You are all sweaty, I am not kissing you." _

"_Are you being serious?" Nathan asked letting go of her. _

"_Fine, I'll shower if you kiss me." Nathan said raising his eyebrows. _

"_Before you say anything…I just want to say that I'm sorry for everything I said the last time that I saw you." _

"_It's okay Haley. I understood why you were so upset, and I understood why you said those things even if a part of me didn't."_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Spring Memory

**Flashback (Spring 2005)**

"**Brooke, why the hell did I find a pregnancy test in the bathroom trash?" Jake stormed up to Brooke at the bar that was sitting next to the deejay at Nathan and Haley's second wedding. **

"**What are you talking about?" Brooke asked taking a sip of her champagne.**

"**Are you pregnant?" Jake asked.**

"**Why?" Brooke asked.**

"**I can't raise another one right now! Jenny is my main priority. It's not anyone else's because you are the only that has been in my house, and you're the only one that I've been sleeping with." Jake said. Brooke looked up at him flabbergasted at how he was approaching the topic.**

"**It's a good thing that I'm not right?" Brooke said spitefully and she turned to the bar.**

"**Baby, don't be like that towards me." Jake said wrapping his arm around her. She slipped out of his grasp.**

"**Jake, what if I was pregnant?" Brooke asked.**

"**I don't know…" Jake said shrugging his shoulders.**

"**You wouldn't stick around." Brooke finished his thought process for him. "I love you…but I can't…" Brooke said shaking her head.**

"**Brooke, don't do this." Jake said.**

"**No, you messed up your chance when you stormed in here telling me that you couldn't raise another child right now and **_**basically**_** saying that you wouldn't be around to raise it if I was." Brooke said. "Have a great life." **

"**That's stupid." He said and he walked away. **

**Brooke sat down at the bar and she let a tear fall from her eye. She watched as the bartender walked away into the back, she guessed to get more supplies and she grabbed one of the bottles of vodka, and she snuck out of the curtain easily with the bottle. Brooke walked in the bridesmaid room stumbling drunkenly and tried to find her purse. With tears pouring down her face Brooke took another large gulp from the vodka bottle. **

"**Dammit! Why did I make matching purses for everyone?" She cursed searching every purse that came into her way.**

"**Brooke?" A male voice called. **

"**I'm just looking for my purse, and I'll be gone." Brooke said.**

"**Why leaving so early?" He asked. He walked over to her and he picked her head up and could see her makeup was smeared and her mascara was running. "How did you get this, Brooke?" He asked taking the vodka bottle from her.**

"**Nate, I don't want to talk about it." She said and she let out a small belch and she giggled. She found her purse and she grabbed her keys out of it. "Have a good honeymoon Nate!" **

"**Headliner waiting to happen gives me those keys." He said and he snatched the keys from her.**

"**NATE! I just want to go home! Give me my keys!" She raised her voice at him.**

"**I'll drive you home. You won't be driving like this." Nathan said and he took her by the arm and he led her out of the bridesmaid room and he took her to her car. He put her in the passenger seat and he sat down in the driver's seat.**

**Nathan drove her back to her house and he helped her inside. He sat her down on her bed and she looked up at him with sad eyes. "Nathan, I don't know what to do anymore." She said tears slipping down her cheeks again.**

"**What happened today, Brooke?" He asked.**

"**Jake and I have been having a lot of problems and today was the final straw. He found my pregnancy test in the bathroom trash, and he confronted me about it." She said and she saw Nathan's eyes grow wide. "I'm not pregnant…but he told me he wasn't going to be able to raise another one, even if we were a couple because he already had Jenny. That obviously has to say something…so I just ended it. I'm not going to be someone who wants to be with me when I'm not pregnant but is ready to run if I was." **

"**I'm sorry Brooke…" Nathan said and he put his hand on her back and he moved it up and down rubbing it softly. She leaned into him and she started to pour down in tears. "Shh…It's okay." He whispered and he kissed her hair softly.**

"**I loved him Nate. He let me down." She said and Nathan nodded his head. **

"**Boys are stupid. Haven't you realized this yet?" Nathan asked.**

"**Haley is really lucky." Brooke said looking up at the raven haired teenager.**

"**I don't know, I think I'm the lucky one to have a girl like Haley." He said with a laugh.**

**End of Flashback**

"I'm pretty sure that you don't want to know the rest…" Brooke said softly. She took a sip of her drink and she looked down at her lap.

"Yeah, I guess I can pretty much see where it went from there." Haley said and she let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry Haley. I never meant for this to happen, but I have Jamie now and he is the most important thing in my life and if I never did that with Nathan I wouldn't have Jamie." Brooke said.

"That's what Nathan was saying. He would have regretted it back then, but now he doesn't because he has Jamie." Haley said nodding her head. "Fatherhood really changed him."

"At least he's not like Dan. That's what I rejoice about every day. That he is nothing like Dan when it comes to parenting."

"I bet. Do you think I could meet Jamie one time?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, I think that would be great. You should come by our place tomorrow night. Jamie was asking me the other day when you were all over the magazines why you had his last name. It was actually quite hard to like explain how that whole thing. It felt like I was giving him the birds and the bees talk."

"Ouch." Haley said and they both laughed. "I hope we can get back to where we used to be."

"Me too, I missed you Tutor Girl."

"I missed you too Tigger." She said and they both hugged.

[O][T][H]

"Brooke, are you ready yet?" Nathan asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, almost done, I'm just trying to finish my make up." Brooke said.

"You know that you don't need make up because you are beautiful the way you are." He called up to her.

"You're supposed to say that!" She called back.

"Whatever, it's the truth." He said and held the rose in his hand.

"Okay! I'm ready!" Brooke said and she started to walk down the stairs. When he first laid his eyes on her, his breath felt like it was taken out of his throat. "How do you like?"

"Definitely worth all that time that you kept me waiting." He said and he kissed her cheek softly and he handed her the rose. She sniffed it and she let her dimples with a bright smile. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." She said and she placed her hand in his and she walked out of the door behind him. She locked the door up, and she walked down the driveway with him.

He opened the passenger door of the car for her and she got in. "Thank you."

He shut the door behind her and he walked over to the driver's side and he sat down in the seat. He strapped on the seatbelt before putting the car in reverse and backing out of the driveway. He pulled out and he put the car in drive. Then he drove off into the direction of the restaurant that they were going to have dinner at.

"So where are we going?"

"You know that small place on the boardwalk that borders the beach? It's an Italian restaurant." He said.

"I don't know which restaurant you're talking about, but that sounds delicious. I remember always craving Italian food when I was pregnant with Jamie."

"That's where I got the food for the latter half of your pregnancy."

"That means that I will _really_ enjoy this place." She said laughing softly.

Nathan pulled up into a parking spot, and he walked over to Brooke's side and he helped her out of the car. He slipped his hand inside of hers and he laced their fingers together and he walked inside of the restaurant with her hand-in-hand.

"Welcome to Giovanni's Italian Restaurant & Bar. Do you have reservations?"

"Yes sir, they're under the name Nathan Scott."

"Oh yes, Mr. Scott, table for two, right this way." He said taking two menus and leading them through the tables and to one in the back near the window where they could see the view of the ocean, but not be outside knowing it was way too cold to be outside.

"Can I start you guys with something to drink?" The male asked.

"I'll have a coke." Brooke said.

"Make that two." Nathan said and he looked down at the menu and the man walked away and into the back to fix the drinks.

"It's so warm in here." Brooke said.

"I know it's better than being out there, though the balcony tables have the better view."

"I bet, but it's too cold to be out there."

[O][T][H]

"He was out like a light." Peyton said entering the living room and sitting next to her boyfriend.

"That's good. I'm glad." Lucas said opening his arm to around her and pulling her closer to him. He kissed the top of her blonde curly head.

"What are we doing for Christmas?" Peyton asked playing with Lucas' shirt absent mindedly.

"I was thinking we would all have a big dinner together everyone bringing all their presents and then go our separate ways for the night. Then we can all get back together in the morning to have a big Christmas morning."

"That sounds absolutely perfect. I can do the invitations." Peyton said and then she looked up at the television. "What are we watching?"

"A basketball game between Boston and Cleveland, it's on commercial but still…" He said.

Peyton picked up the remote and she flipped the channel.

"Can you just explain to me what the hell 'Fa la la lifetime' is?" Lucas asked.

"It's a bunch of Christmas movies on Lifetime. I love this channel." Peyton said and she snuggled with her boyfriend.

"That's not too bad." He said and he rested backwards on the couch not too disappointed about missing the game. He was just that kind of guy. He would spend time with his girlfriend no matter what was on television; he just had to be with her.

[O][T][H]

"That was delicious." Brooke said wiping her mouth with the napkin.

"Do you want dessert?" Nathan asked her.

"No, I'm stuffed." She said shaking her head. "Thank you anyways. Dinner was amazing." Brooke raved.

"Good, I'm glad that you liked it." Nathan said and when the waiter approached to take their plates he asked, "Can I have the check?"

The waiter set a black book on the table that had the receipt in it. Nathan stuffed cash into the other pocket, and some extra as a tip for the waiter. He set it down on the table and he stood up from the table. He held out his hand for Brooke, and when she took it they walked out of the restaurant together. He walked her out to the car and before he could open the door for her, she backed him up against the car and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"This was one of the best dates I have ever been on." Brooke said.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing." Nathan said.

Brooke leaned in, her eyes fluttering shut and she pressed her lips to his. She felt his hands slip to her hips and his arms circle around her. She smiled against his lips. While she was in the midst of the kiss, she felt herself unconsciously lift her foot behind her. She broke away from the kiss and he nuzzled his nose against her cheek when she turned her head to the side. She giggled softly.

"What's so funny?" Nathan asked.

"This is the first time that I actually felt butterflies in a really long time." Brooke said. "It feels funny and scary all at the same time."

"I know the feeling." He whispered softly and he kissed her cheek softly. "So what does this mean?"

"This means that you can officially change your Facebook status to _in a relationship with Brooke Davis_." Brooke said with a small laugh.

"I don't even use that thing."

"I know which is why I'll end up doing it for you." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him. He caught her lips in a quick kiss and she smiled. "Nate, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, anything baby, what is it?"

"Have you done any thinking about going back to school?"

"School wasn't easy for me Brooke; I barely got through high school. I won't do well in college."

"You don't know that till you try it out. If college isn't for you, then it isn't for you. I didn't have to go to college to learn how to be a fashion designer and start that company I did in high school."

"Yeah, why haven't you gone any further with that?"

"I have a son to take care of Nathan."

"You expect me to go to college while I'm also raising Jamie?"

"College is very different then running a fashion empire and traveling between here and New York all the time."

"Why does it have to be in New York? Why don't you start up your company here in Tree Hill? All small companies start out small before they become big empires."

"I'll think about it. Right now, I think you should just kiss me." Brooke laughed and he happily obliged.

[O][T][H]

"Hey Brooke, its Jake…been awhile huh?" Jake said to himself into the mirror. He shook his head.

"Daddy…who are you talking to?" A little girl's voice came from the doorway.

"I'm talking to myself, baby. Sorry did I wake you up?" Jake asked turning towards his daughter and she shook her head.

"No, I had a bad dream."

"You can stay with Daddy tonight." Jake said

"Thank you Daddy." Jenny said climbing on his bed and tucking herself into bed. Jake lay down on the other side of the bed and turned out the light. "Who is that Brooke girl that you were talking about?"

"She was someone that used to be very special to me."

"She isn't anymore?"

"She still is, but we do not talk anymore because we got into a bad fight."

"All you have to do is apologize, Daddy. Men are always wrong, just remember that." Jenny said.

"Oh you think so?" Jake asked laughing softly.

"I do!" Jenny said.

**PLEASE REVIEWWWWW! It's what keeps the chapters coming. I'm on my way out of town, so I apologize if you guys thought that this chapter sucked. Anyways, I hope you like it a little!**


	15. A Very Scott Christmas

_Previously on With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept…_

_"Fatherhood really changed him."_

_"At least he's not like Dan. That's what I rejoice about every day. That he is nothing like Dan when it comes to parenting."_

_"Brooke, are you ready yet?" Nathan asked from the bottom of the stairs._

_"Yeah, almost done, I'm just trying to finish my make up." Brooke said._

_"You know that you don't need make up because you are beautiful the way you are." He called up to her._

_"You're supposed to say that!" She called back._

_"Can you just explain to me what the hell 'Fa la la lifetime' is?" Lucas asked._

_"It's a bunch of Christmas movies on Lifetime. I love this channel." Peyton said._

_"This means that you can officially change your Facebook status to__in a relationship with Brooke Davis__." _

_"Hey Brooke, its Jake…been awhile huh?" Jake said to himself into the mirror. He shook his head._

_"Daddy…who are you talking to?" A little girl's voice came from the doorway._

_"I'm talking to myself, baby. Sorry did I wake you up?" Jake asked turning towards his daughter and she shook her head._

_"No, I had a bad dream."_

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A Very Scott Christmas

It was finally Christmas weekend. Lucas and Peyton were hosting a Christmas get together. They had rented a cabin in the mountains, and everyone was going to spend the holidays together. The only thing that little Jamie was worried about was that Santa wasn't going to be able to find him at the cabin and he only came to the homes of the children. Lucas, Peyton, Nathan, Brooke, Jamie, and Haley were all staying together in the cabin. Haley was the odd one out but, she didn't mind, only because she definitely intended on working on her friendships with everyone.

Things had been crazy in Tree Hill to say the least. Jake had returned to Tree Hill and the only way that everyone knew about it was that Jamie had met his daughter Jenny at school and they became immediate friends. Brooke was not expecting his return, and he had even come to her door asking for her to take him back. Of course, Brooke couldn't do that. She was in a relationship with Nathan, and she wouldn't do that to Nathan. She could feel herself falling in love with Nathan, and she wasn't just going to ruin that for a guy who had broken her heart five years ago and suddenly changed his mind after all that time.

Lucas put the SUV in park and he turned off the engine and he got out. His feet sunk into the white snow once he hit the ground. He shut the door and he rubbed his gloved hands together. The sound of people chattering and the doors of the SUV opening and shutting and their feet hitting the snow is what filled Lucas' ears. Lucas was joined to that side of the SUV by everyone and he wrapped his arm around Peyton.

"Go fight over rooms." He said and they ran towards the cabin, Peyton and him standing in place. He handed her a master bedroom key, and she smirked.

"I knew you were smart." She said and she smiled sweetly and then walked to the back of the SUV with him to start getting the bags out.

When everyone was inside, and their bags were all unpacked, the sun was setting over the horizon. Everyone was doing their little bit in the kitchen to help make dinner for the six of them. "Jimmy Jam, sprinkle the cheese and pass it on." Lucas said and Jamie dug his hand into the shredded cheese on the tortilla and then passed it on. Nathan put one on top and passed it to Brooke who put it on the machine and closed the machine to let it cook. When it was done she put it on a plate that Peyton was holding out.

"One just cheese quesadilla for Jamie Scott." She said and set it at his plate and they repeated the cooking process, with everyone's quesadillas.

Dinner went by smoothly, and then they were in for the night watching a movie. Jamie fell asleep half way through the movie, and Brooke and Nathan took him up to bed. "Mama…" He said sleepily once she laid him down in the bed that was his for the weekend.

"Yes baby?" She asked and she pushed some hair behind her ear and looked at her sleepy son.

"Don't forget the milk and cookies." He whispered.

"I won't baby." She said kissing the top of his head and tucking him in to bed so he would stay warm. "Goodnight." She said and the two parents left the room shutting the door behind them and instead of heading back down they decided to head to bed themselves.

Brooke changed into silk night gown and she looked at Nathan who had flannel pajamas bottoms on and a light shirt. "That's what you're wearing to bed…in this weather?" He asked his girlfriend.

"I guess I have to rely on you to keep me warm." She said with a smirk and she crawled into bed and he did the same. He wrapped his arms around her as the lights darkened and she turned over to face him.

Her hand went to his cheek and she closed her eyes as she leaned up and kissed him. Her free hand traveled down his side and then to his pajama bottoms, and slipped her hand inside. His eyes shut and he whispered, "Bad girl? With everyone else still awake?" He asked.

"Who cares?" She whispered and she kissed his neck softly, her hand still playing with him inside of his pants.

Downstairs, the movie finished about an hour later, and Haley decided she was going to head up to bed. "Good night guys." She said to Lucas and Peyton and she headed up to her room. She heard a few giggles and a few whispers coming from Brooke and Nathan's room and she just made a face and entered her own room and made a mental note to turn on her music for the night.

"I guess we should leave out milk and cookies, since it doesn't look like Brooke and Nathan are coming back?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah, we should probably also set out the presents and stuff since Jamie is out for the night." He said and he got the milk while she got the cookies. They set the plate out and retreated to the closet to get the tons of presents that they had brought to the cabin, no one knew what was in them.

By the time they were done, Lucas had eaten two and a half of the three cookies and drank half the glass of milk. They turned out the lights downstairs and made their way upstairs quietly and slipped into their room where they headed to bed.

The next morning there was a small voice yelling that it was Christmas morning and everyone needed to wake up, and the steps of little feet running up and down the hallway repeatedly. Lucas got up with Peyton, and he walked out the door and Jamie hugged him.

"Santa came last night!" Jamie said and Lucas ruffled the boy's blonde hair.

"Really? Let's wake everyone else up and then we'll go down and open the presents." He said and Jamie pounded on Nathan and Brooke's door as Haley came out of hers.

"What's the ruckus?" She asked and the three went downstairs as he tried to wake his parents up.

"Little boy on Christmas morning." Peyton laughed and finally the other Scott family came down from upstairs. Haley, Peyton, and Lucas were enjoying a warm cup of coffee on the couch waiting for them, and they just laughed seeing the expression on Brooke and Nathan's faces.

"Rough night guys?" Lucas asked and Haley and Peyton chuckled knowing exactly what went down last night.

"More like a rough morning. Jamie, honey, Mommy is just gonna get her coffee and her camera then we can open presents, okay?" Brooke asked retreating into the kitchen with Nathan and as soon as they left the three broke out into laughter.

Brooke kissed Nathan on the lips as she handed him a steaming cup of coffee. "I can't wait to have more repeats of last night, Mr. Scott." She said grinning and then grabbed her camera and walked into the living room. He followed and sat down in one of the recliners and Brooke sat on his lap.

"Pick your first present Jamie." She said and he looked at all of them and grabbed one of them with his name on it. "It's from Santa." He said holding it up and she snapped a photo. Then he opened it and inside was a few figurines of his favorite basketball players. "Awesome mom! Look!" He said and he held up the figurines and she snapped another picture.

"This is one is for Haley from Uncle Lucas and Aunt Peyton." Jamie said handing Haley her present. They were just going to go around in a circle. When Haley opened the present inside was a stitched with her name on the front journal. She opened it and flipped through the pages.

"It's a song book. I'm sure you needed another journal to fill up with more hit songs." He said and she nodded her head.

"Thanks guys." She said and she threw the paper away and she gave Lucas and Peyton both a hug, Brooke snapping pictures through the whole process.

"This one is for Mommy, from Daddy." Jamie said handing the present to her and she opened it and inside was a heart locket, and inside the locket had a picture of Jamie on one side and Nathan one the other. On the back was engraved the words 'I love you'.

"I love it baby, thanks." She said and kissed him quickly only so it wouldn't be awkward. She put on the locket and threw the paper in the trashcan next to them.

"This one is for Aunt Peyton from Uncle Lucas." He said and handed the small present to Peyton and she un-wrapped it carefully and she looked a little confused while Brooke snapped away.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Open it." He said and Haley knew what was coming and he was sure that Brooke and Nathan did too by the looks on their faces. Peyton though was still a little dumbfounded until she opened the box and saw inside a ring. It was a Tiffany Novo; it was inspired by the 128.54 carat Tiffany Diamond. She gasped and Lucas took it out of the tiny box.

"Marry me?" He asked and she nodded her head. They were both barely able to speak, only because he was nervous, and she was dumbfounded on what to say.

She grinned, and he slipped the ring on her finger and he kissed her passionately. "I'm engaged!" She said after the kiss was over and she giggled and Brooke snapped pictures.

Christmas went by and they all had a very joyous time together. Things were falling into place. Brooke printed out the last picture which was one of them all together, and she stuck it to the black page. Nathan came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She closed the book and leaned back into him. On the front was a title that said, "A Very Scott Christmas".

**Thanks for reading! I know that this story hadn't been updated in a while but I wasn't feeling how Chapter 15 was written to continue onto it, so I re wrote it. I hope you like it! Please review!**


	16. AUTHOR'S NOTE PLEASE READ

Hey guys!

Listen, I know this story hasn't been updated in a long time, and that is because I have been super busy! But I've been in a writing mood lately and wanted to get back into writing. I plan on starting a new story soon but if you'd like to see this one continued, let me know!

Thanks!

:)


	17. Tide In The Affairs of Men

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Mcsexielover, natarma, mkrunner, leyton03, kit147, grayfan, and OTHGirl 24 for responding to my note. Even though it seems like most would like to see this story go on, I don't think this story can be stretched out any longer, and I don't want to throw in useless drama and this story needs the happy ending. :) I hope you ALL agree with my decision and I look forward to see if you'll read my newest Leyton story that is in the works! This is the last chapter of this story. This final chapter will be 10 years into the future.

Peyton and Lucas have been married for 6 years, they have two children ages 5 & 2. Brooke and Nathan have been married for almost 9 years since they got married almost a year after they had gotten engaged on Christmas Day. They have three children ages 14, 7, & 3. Haley's future will be revealed! ;)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Tide In The Affairs of Men

10 years later...

Peyton Scott opened her light green-gray eyes and she looked up at the ceiling. She twirled her wedding band around her finger and she shifted her eyes to her left hand and her ring finger and her engagement ring shined back up at her along with the gold wedding band. She smiled and she turned on her side and saw an empty bed next to her. She sat up and crawled out of bed pulling Lucas' t-shirt down adjusting it on her body. She wandered down the hall way but she didn't see anyone in the kitchen.

"Nice legs." She heard from behind her and she turned around and smiled.

"Nice hands." Peyton replied back her lips curling up into a smirk and she walked towards her blonde haired and blue eyed husband.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and she leaned in and kissed him deeply on the lips, entering as much passion as she could into the kiss. Even six years after marriage, they still had the passion, they still had love. She knew that they got through everything for a reason. They were end game.

"Where are the kids?" Peyton asked breaking apart from her husband, keeping her arms around his neck and looking into his eyes.

"Sawyer is packing her things into her Barbie suitcase that I set out for her, and Robert is in his high chair in the living room. We were watching the basketball game." Lucas said and she walked with him into the living room and as soon as her son Robert saw her he started bouncing in his high chair.

"Mama!" He reached up for her to pick him up. Peyton undid him in the chair and picked him up in her arms.

Sawyer Brooke Scott was five years old, they had her just after they had gotten married. Robert Keith Scott was two years old, and born a week before Sawyer's birthday. After they had gotten married and Sawyer was born they had moved to Charlotte where Lucas worked in the city and Peyton had her own label, but often made trips back home to Tree Hill where they also had a house where they stayed when they went to town. It was pretty convenient. They were making the trip back to Tree Hill for a big get together of the town and their family and friends and everyone was excited.

-X-

Brooke Davis-Scott put the table cloth over the picnic table like she had done to the other fifteen that were in the local park in Tree Hill. Her husband of almost 9 years had proposed to her on Christmas Day when they had all gone to the cabinet and they were all still trying to adjust to the idea of the idea of Brooke and Nathan being together and also sharing a child together. After getting married, they decided to stay in their hometown realizing that Tree Hill was home, and that was the only place that they wanted to raise their child Jamie or any of their future children. Of course, they did end up having two more children. Brooke's fashion line had taken off, and she had done many different versions of her line but under the same brand. Of course, her line had run into some trouble every now and then but Brooke came back on top and redeemed herself and proved herself to be the person that no one believed she could be.

Nathan faithfully played as a Charlotte Bobcat for 8 years before he decided that he had made enough money, even though it wasn't about the money, and he was ready for retirement and ready to become a stay at home dad. So while Brooke was still working, Nathan stayed at home and raised their kids, and became a Mr. Mom, but in the end they came home to each other, and they were happy.

"Need any help, beautiful?" Nathan asked appearing at the other side of the picnic table helping her with the table cloth.

"Thank you baby." She said and she pushed a hand through her hair and look at the set up that she had done.

Brooke was always a pretty organized person, at least from the time she had turned her life around from a party girl in high school. She realized she had so much potential and could do anything with her life if she wanted to and she made certain that she did so.

"So who's all coming?" Nathan asked as he made his way around the table and wrapped an arm around his brunette wife's waist and pulled her to the side of his body.

"Well, I know that Peyton and Lucas and the kids are coming, Haley said she was coming with guests but she didn't specify who or how many, Jake couldn't make it this weekend because he's seeing Jenny off to college, us and our kids, your parents and Karen and Andy, also I think Whitey's home care nurse was going to try to bring him out here." Brooke said and bit her lip back.

"Sounds good, the food should be here with Karen and Andy in about an hour, I'm going to get headed to the airport to get Lucas and them, and my parents should be bringing the kids."

"Okay baby, see you soon." She said and she leaned up and kissed his lips softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said and he held on to her hand until he was far enough away till his grasp on her hand broke and he walked to the car and drove away. Brooke went back to fixing things for the cook out.

-X-

Nathan walked up to the blue screens and he looked at the flight number and he saw that the flight was unloading and that they should be getting off the plane any moment. He walked to the gate that they were going to be coming from and he leaned against the wall crossing his arms over his chest. He sometimes wondered how ten years could just fly by so quickly like they did. He felt like it was just yesterday they were all sitting around the Christmas tree in the cabin and opening presents and he was proposing to Brooke and Jamie was little and now he was into his teenage years. Boy, he hoped that he wouldn't be like him or Brooke in high school but the kid did have a killer basketball skill and was the captain of Tree Hill's JV team already. Jamie made sure that no one judged him or gave him things especially promotions like captain of the basketball team because of who his father was and how he played so great for Tree Hill. He was very independent.

"Uncle Nathan!" Nathan heard snapping out of his thoughts and he saw Sawyer running towards him. He hadn't seen them in a few weeks and he always joking played with her that she had grown so much since he had last seen her.

"Look at you sprouting up like a green bean. You're so grown up!" He said and he hugged her.

"Mama, says I'm not. Mama says I'm still a child and she's the grown up and that's why I gotta listen to her." Sawyer said crossing her arms and that remark made Nathan, Lucas, and Peyton laugh.

"She's such a diva." Lucas said shaking his head pulling his daughter close to his side.

"Guess we all know who she gets that from." Nathan said looking at Peyton and she scowled at him. "It's nice to see you guys."

"Nice to see you too bro." Lucas said giving his brother a shoulder hug after clapping hands and they walked together to the baggage claim carrying casual conversation.

-X-

"!" Peyton said as they got to the green spacious park that they were having the get together at.

"!" Brooke turned around with a big grin on her face and they ran towards each other and hugged each other tightly.

Even though they both had different last names and were sister in laws, they still used their old names. Being sister in laws was just the next notch to their friendship as best friends. They had been through everything together, and that was no joke. Brooke gasped when she saw Robert with Nathan and Sawyer walking next to Lucas with her small hand in his big one.

"They get more and more beautiful every time I see them!" Brooke shrieked and she hugged her niece Sawyer that shared the same middle name as her first name.

Brooke put Sawyer down and played with Robert's hand and when Nathan handed him back to Peyton she kissed Luke's cheek. "Hey Luke, it's good to see you." She said and she hugged him tightly.

"You too Brooke, this park looks great." He said and he saw a SUV pulling up and it was Karen and Andy with the food.

"Boys, would you mind helping?" Brooke asked and the boys were not hesitant in doing so and she told them where to place the food.

"Grandma Karen!" Sawyer said running across the lawn her blonde hair going with the wind and she ran up to Lucas' mother otherwise known as Sawyer's grandmother.

"This is not my little Sawyer!" She said hugging her granddaughter.

"Yes it is, Grandma Karen!" Sawyer put her hands on her hips and she giggled and then ran back to Peyton.

-X-

Dan and Deb had arrived with Nathan and Brooke's children a little while later while everyone was in the middle of a few conversations. Jamie as usual had his iPod earphones in and a basketball under his arm with his Keith Scott Body Shop sweat shirt with jeans, that he had been passed down from Lucas. It was surprising how things had been passed down and how they still appreciated it. Keith meant everything to the Scotts and to the town of Tree Hill, and even though his own brother Dan had killed him he had paid for his mistakes, and his family had forgiven him and could at least stand to be around him.

"So all we're waiting on is Haley and her guests then we can sit down and eat." Brooke announced and they all went to their separate conversations.

Lily and Jamie were about the same age and they were playing a game of HORSE on the basketball court. Lily was technically his aunt but he saw her more as a sister or as a cousin.

"How's school?" Lily asked him making a shot and tossing him the ball for his turn.

"It's not bad, how about you?" Jamie asked.

"Home school gets kind of lonely but I love traveling the world with my mom and Andy." Lily said. When Jamie missed the shot Lily shrieked with joy. "You earn a O, which makes you a HO right now." Lily said with a laugh.

-X-

Everyone was in the midst of their conversations when a big tour bus pulled in front of the park and the doors opened. The park went silent, no one was talking, and everyone turned their heads towards the bus. They knew that Haley was still touring so the tour was no surprise to them. They were all curious to see who her guests were, which is the reason that they were all silent. A few minutes later, the familiar dirty blonde haired very successful woman emerged from the tour bus, and she took a deep breath of the fresh air. She turned her head when she heard footsteps and Chris Keller emerged from the tour bus and one child followed. While most of their eyes widened, Peyton and Brooke gasped and turned to each other.

"No flipping way." Nathan and Lucas said at the same time and stood up.

The pact of people went to greet the family and although it was a bit awkward she knew that they would adjust. Well, they would try to at least.

"Chris Keller has arrived!" Chris said and he shook the hands of the adults and he put his arms around the shoulders of Lucas and Nathan and they both looked at him like he was something from out of this world. They always thought he was a strange creature.

Brooke and Peyton diverted Haley from the adults long enough to get her to the side and they grabbed her left hand where they saw a wedding band and they gasped again as if on cue.

"You guys are MARRIED?" Brooke said and Haley laughed nodding her head. "You have to tell us everything! I'm completely flabbergasted." She sat down with Haley.

"Well, after I left Tree Hill after Christmas, I went to New York where I was playing a few shows and turns out Chris was also playing the show and no one bothered to tell me till I showed up for rehearsals. For the show's sake I put up with him, but strangely enough after getting to know him a lot better over the few months after that show I really noticed there was a nice side to him, and I think it was about a year and a half later I told him how I felt and we made it official. I can't believe you guys haven't read about it." Haley said shaking her head.

"I haven't really been into gossip lately. Well what I thought was gossip." Peyton said and she shook her head completely taken away. "So you guys got married. I never expected Chris Keller to be the marrying type. When did the little one come along?"

"About four years ago. She'll be turning four in July. Her name is Caitlin Marie Keller." Haley said proudly.

"Well I'm really happy for you!" Brooke said and both her and Peyton wrapped Haley in a hug.

"Where are your chitlins?" Haley asked referring to the children of both Brooke and Peyton.

"Sawyer Brooke is in the sandbox, she's five. Robert Keith is with Karen, he's two." Peyton said pointing out her children respectively.

"Aw, you named him Keith." Haley said and she smiled looking at the two children before turning to her brunette best friend.

"Jamie is on the basketball court with Lily, he's fourteen, Austin Nathaniel is over in the sand box also he's seven, and Shay Nicole is with Deb she just turned three years old." She said also pointing out her kids respectively. Jamie was the only blonde headed blue eyed kid that Brooke and Nathan had. Austin and Shay both had dark hair but bright blue eyes. That's the only way you could tell that the kids were theirs. Their eyes. They were SCOTT eyes.

It was time to close this chapter in their lives, and get on with their lives.

And the only way to end this chapter in their lives is to end it with the quote that started it all, **"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. But omitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries.. on such a full sea are we now afloat.. and we must take the current when it serves or lose the ventures before us."**

PLEASE REVIEW and be on the LOOK OUT FOR MY NEW LEYTON STORY! :)


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